Trustees at an ancient woodland in Bishop’s Stortford have explained the benefits of coppicing after some residents questioned seeing several trees chopped down. An area outside the woods yard at 69-acre Birchanger Wood, off Heath Row, has been cleared, with several trees “coppiced” in the process. Coppicing is the harvesting of a crop of shoots from the cut stumps of trees and besides providing wood for fuel and fencing it is important for wildlife. It allows light to penetrate the woodland floor and promotes the growth of woodland flowers and trees from seed, thus encouraging insects and bir…