Willoweave

Willoweave are a small family business located near the ancient City of York.

Willoweave supply living willow and interweave fencing panels manufactured from coppiced willow grown on the Vale of York. Coppicing is a sustainable system that provides a renewable source of raw material when harvested on a 2 to 3 year cycle.

Browse our information pages, make a post through our comments sections, or go to our on-line store for fencing and other gardening products.

Willoweave welcome the opportunity to speak directly to both existing customers and potential new customers, contact details can be found on the contact page.

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The Willoweave woodland is begining to stir with the activity of nesting birds. Due to the structural complexity of willow and the difference in morphology of the many varieties, at least 32 bird species have been recorded in SRWC. Arboreal species such as Tits and Warblers, ‘skulking’ species such as Wren and Robin, and migrant species also utilise the willow coppice. In west Wales, preliminary results from a study (by Llysdinam’s Wales Biomass Centre and IGER) using mist nets to evaluate the avian biodiversity of SRC recorded 14 species of birds within the cropped areas of first year SRC; and avifauna flocks of reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) and finches were also observed.

To encourage nesting birds in your garden you may want to install a bird box this spring, if you already have a willoeave fence then attach one to a fence post. The box below is ideal.

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We have had a busy winter at willoweave both supplying and installing fencing and also supplying living willow for “fedges” and living willow structures. As spring approaches and the willow starts its growth for the season our harvesting stops,  to make sure that you obtain any living willow for planting this year now is the time to contact us

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Find about willow and add facts of your own at Wikpedia HERE

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In addition to growing willow for fence manufacture we also harvest a proportion of it as woodchip. We have recently finished harvesting and to see how we do this you can view the video below. The harvesting is undertaken every three years, the woodchip produced, referred to as biomass, will be used to co-fire with coal to produce electricity at Drax power station in Yorkshire. This is helping the UK reduce its CO2 emissions.

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The leaves and bark of the willow tree have been mentioned in ancient texts from Assyria, Sumer and Egypt as a remedy for aches and fever, and the Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates wrote about its medicinal properties in the 5th century BC. Native Americans across the American continent relied on it as a staple of their medical treatments. This is because they contain salicylic acid, the precursor to aspirin.

In 1763 its medicinal properties were observed by the Reverend Edward Stone in England. He notified the Royal Society who published his findings. The active extract of the bark, called salicin, was isolated to its crystalline form in 1828 by Henri Leroux, a French pharmacist, and Raffaele Piria, an Italian chemist, who then succeeded in separating out the acid in its pure state. Salicin is acidic when in a saturated solution in water (pH = 2.4), and is called salicylic acid for that reason.

In 1897 Felix Hoffmann created a synthetically altered version of salicin (in his case derived from the Spiraea plant), which caused less digestive upset than pure salicylic acid. The new drug, formally Acetylsalicylic acid, was named aspirin by Hoffmann’s employer Bayer AG. This gave rise to the hugely important class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

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This is a simple procedure done by cutting all the top growth to ground level in late winter.
How to:
Year 1 - in the spring, plant the dormant willow cuttings in the soil (simply push them in a few inches), leaving 2 or 3 buds above the level of the soil. Or plant plugs. Provide ample water throughout the growing season.
Year 2 and onwards - in late winter prune all the rods back to the point from which they grew the previous year. Provide ample water throughout the growing season.

Note: the growth that has been cut off can be placed in water to stimulate the catkins, or it can be used for basketry, living willow structures, twig furniture, wattle fencing and more.

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Willow has been found to increase the biodiversity of an area over previous land uses, including sheep grazed pastures and arable crops where a low biodiversity predominates. Ecological studies of the large areas of SRWC planted in Yorkshire for the ARBRE project clearly demonstrated that willow plantations never displace species from an area and that the overall biodiversity, including ground vegetation, birds, butterflies and invertebrates, is improved (Rich and Sage, 2001).

Mammals: A minimum of 10 species have been observed in SRWC, including the Brown Hare, Stoat, Mice, Vole, Shrew, Fox and Rabbit. These include important food resources for larger carnivores.

Flora: 151 species of plant have been recorded growing in SRWC at sites across in England. These provide, both directly and indirectly, food for butterflies and many other insects and their predators. This diversity of ground flora is also important in regulating weed control by providing competition for resources and preventing domination of individual plant species. Floral diversity also increases the habitat complexity which will encourage a wider diversity of beneficial predatory invertebrates important for controlling pest species.

Birds: Due to the structural complexity of willow and the difference in morphology of the many varieties, at least 32 bird species have been recorded in SRWC. Arboreal species such as Tits and Warblers, ‘skulking’ species such as Wren and Robin, and migrant species also utilise the willow coppice. In west Wales, preliminary results from a study (by Llysdinam’s Wales Biomass Centre and IGER) using mist nets to evaluate the avian biodiversity of SRC recorded 14 species of birds within the cropped areas of first year SRC; and avifauna flocks of reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) and finches were also observed.

Invertebrates: At least three times the number of plant-eating species spends part of their life cycle in the canopy of SRWC compared to conventionally grown barley and wheat (Sage & Tucker, 1998). Over 135 invertebrate species have been found in the canopies of willow, and almost as many ground dwelling and subterranean species have also been recorded. Between 70-80% of all of these species were found to be non-pest species and many of which were beneficial to the crop by predating on pests and therefore acting as a natural control.

Preliminary results from Welsh upland studies of SRWC have been encouraging and support the more general findings presented above. Evidence for upland Wales agrees with the lowland conclusions that the beneficial impacts of planting SRC greatly outweigh any negative ones and that these benefits can be enhanced through careful plantation design and sensitive management practices.

Negative impacts on the ecology:

The practice of growing SRC willow in monocultures, i.e. block planting of single varieties, poses high risk to rust as well as willow leaf beetle damage depending on the chosen variety. This could potentially lead to a dominance of a SRC willow habitat by a single pest species. Moreover, the spraying of crops with inappropriate insecticides can lead to non-target and beneficial insect damage, since most insecticides are not specific to their targets. However, in this case it is important to remember that planting guidelines recommend planting a thorough mixture of varieties and if done appropriately can prevent these problems.

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Lowthe-Thomas SC. Ground cover management for short rotation willow coppice in the uplands of mid-Wales. PhD Thesis. Cardiff: University of Wales (Cardiff University); 2003.

Rich TJ, Sage RB, Moore N, Robertson P, Aegerger J, Bishop J. ARBRE monitoring – ecology of short rotation coppice plantations. ETSU B/U1/00627/REP, DTI/Pub URN/ 01/768; 2001.

Sage R, Tucker K. Integrated crop management of SRC plantations to maximise crop value, wildlife benefits and other added value opportunities. ETSU B/W2/00400/REP; 1998.

Cardiff Scool of Biosciences.

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