Copse

A copse is an English term for a small lowland woodland. It is often used as a part of a place name, for example Borthwood Copse on the Isle of Wight.

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The term is derived from the similar and linked word coppice. Most woodlands which have copse as a part of their name were probably coppiced once, but this does not mean that the practice continues today, as it was once a lot more popular than it is now. As coppicing was mostly practiced in lowland England, this is the area where use of the word is most common.

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However, the word has entered the language as a term simply meaning a small woodland, and perhaps implying some rustic overtones, and so it is occasionally given to new woodlands or applied to areas which have no connection with coppicing.

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English: English in common usage may refer to:...

Woodland: Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. In these terms, a forest has a largely-closed canopy -- in other words, the branches and foliage of trees interlock overhead to provide extensive and nearly continuous shade. A woodland, however, has a largely-open canopy, with sunlight pen...

Borthwood: Borthwood Copse, near Sandown, Isle of Wight, England is owned by the National Trust and is a fragment of the medieval forest which covered most of the eastern end of the Island. There are some fine oak and a grove of beech trees which stand amongst glades of coppiced sweet chestnut and hazel. A bri...