The old-fashioned word for these willow twigs in English is "withies" (cf. Tolkien's "Withywindle" river in LOTR). Coppicing has a long history in Europe (and

The old-fashioned word for these willow twigs in English is "withies" (cf. Tolkien's "Withywindle" river in LOTR). Coppicing has a long history in Europe (and some other parts of the world). Many other species are used for this, not just willows. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppicing "Fascine" comes from the same Latin root as "fascism". The fasces was a bundle of sticks (sometimes with an ax embedded in it) that was used by the Romans as a badge of office. Mussolini's Fascist party appropriated the symbol. It's seen in many other places, though, including in the ceremonial mace of the U.S. House of Representatives and the seal of the U.S. Senate.