Coppicing was once an important form of woodland management. The main stems of trees such as hazel were cut back to stumps every 10 or 20 years and would then re-sprout from the base. The word Coppice is often shortened to ‘copse’ and a copse is a woodland which is managed in this way. When the stems were cut back, wild flowers could flourish in the extra sunlight. The coppiced stems were used for poles, fencing and other products.