Wood the growth of the young timber in open stands after the old trees have been removed is more rapid than in trees in a closed forest, and in the manufacture of articles where strength is an important consideration such "second-growth" hardwood material is preferred. This is particularly the case in the choice of hickory for handles and spokes. Here not only strength, but toughness and resilience are important. The results of a series of tests on hickory by the U.S. Forest Service show that: The effect of rate of growth on the qualities of chestnut wood is summarized by the
Stick in the Wheel prisoners, combined with often sparse but mesmerising music. By positioning traditional selections alongside new material, Stick in the Wheel show that for most people, little has changed over the last few hundred years." The album won the 2015 fRoots Critics Poll For Albums Of The Year for new albums. In 2016 they were nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in two categories: the Horizon Award for Best Group, and for Best Traditional Track (Seven Gypsies). As a way of giving something back to the scene that had if not completely accepted them, at least accommodated them, the group