Pollard question

[RandyS]

Saw this word in another thread. What is it and what does it do for the tree?
Thank you.

 

[darkstar]

Europe

I never really could even imagine a pollard head until i spent 6 months in spain and another year or so traveling europe.
Ill be interested to hear the pros on this topic.
Nice thread Dark

 

[Kate Butler]

pollarding

Here you go:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0204/pollarding.asp

Looks a lot like what we call "hat-racking" to me. I suppose it would be "coppicing" if it were shrubs and not trees.

 

[Nickrosis]

That article is pretty good, but it doesn't go back quite far enough in history to share the utilitarian benefits of pollarding before cities. Trees would be pollarded to provide biofuel for stoves and fireplaces, keeping trees at a reasonable height. Plus before people even began to care about pollution, it was a look that people liked and still like.

Everywhere, you see pollarding confused with topping. People will prune years and years of growth off in one isolated stop instead of a pollarding pruning regimen and refer to it as an arboriculturally correct pollarding procedure.

Cue emoticon. :bang:

Hopefully the good folks at this site won't mind us using their pictures.

This is not pollarding! It's topping a previously topped tree!

Dr. Alex Shigo (you knew this was coming, didn't you) includes illustrations in his book of true pollarding versus topping. More recently, Ed Gilman in Florida's excellent book, An Illustrated Guide to Pruning, provides even more. After ordering the book, check out some pictures on his site.

Ahhhh....good pollarding. It feels so much better! See how you can have branch structure and form? It takes a lot of work, but it can look cool.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

[QUOTE

Looks a lot like what we call "hat-racking" to me.[/QUOTE]

Then unlike the above poster you haven't been to Europe..

Pollarding is a form of tree management often carried out to 'street trees' in most European citys..European roads /streets etc are much narrower than the streets you have in the USA.

We simply do not have the space in our streets for trees with huge canopys.
Proper pollarding is a process where the tree every two to three years has the entire crown cut back to what is known as a pollard head ie every branch on the tree is cut back and only the trunk is left,sounds horrific but infact this has been a good way of managing tree's in urban enviroments for centurys.

Usually only specific tree's are planted in european citys trees that can withstand pollarding well,ie Linden/lime,London plane,horse chestnut being the most common..

Pollarding without doubt shortens the potential life span of a tree,street tree managers know this and plan re-planting as part of street tree managment ,even so I know of pollarded trees that are over 100 years old.

In a nut shell pollarding isn't good for the tree but we haven't the space in our streets for even reduced trees,so pollarding is better than having not tree's,overhere pollarding isn't practised on trees that have sufficient room ie parks large gardens etc

A pollarded tree with a year or two's growthand pollarded correctly often look quite attractive and they most definatly have some enviromental value..

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Nick none of the above pics are proper pollarded trees.

 

[Nickrosis]

Nick none of the above pics are proper pollarded trees.

The last one is. And quite nice too.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

and the trees on kate Butlers link are very very poor examples of pollarding !!

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

The last one is. And quite nice too.

Sorry Nick I disagree,the last tree on your post is a poorly managed re-topped tree,I re-pollarded some Limes last week i'll post pics tommorow ,and show how it should be done..

 

[Nickrosis]

and the trees on kate Butlers link are very very poor examples of pollarding !!

Yes! I agree. Your post is excellent, and I'm glad you brought out the reasons for pollarding.

I've been around Europe, and I'll be in the UK later this year so perhaps you can show me what you mean precisely. To be pollarding, though, all it has to be is

• Pruning back to the exact same point without cutting into the woundwood and
• Repeating the process on a regular basis (no more than a few years, I'd say)

You see differing results depending on the application, but it all seems to get back to those two factors.

 

[Nickrosis]

Sorry Nick I disagree,the last tree on your post is a poorly managed re-topped tree,I re-pollarded some Limes last week i'll post pics tommorow ,and show how it should be done..

We can agree to disagree and walk away knowing we're both right.

But I'm not changing my mind on this one because the rounded ends of the tree show how it was pruned back to the same point, year after year. There was never a large piece taken out in the history of the tree, it was always small pieces. That's the definition...

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Spot on Nick ,unfortunately even after many century's of pollarding here in the UK quite often the procedure is not carried out properly..

A properly pollarded tree should be a trunk with a swollen head [callus]..

A few years ago many of our city councils ran out of funding for arboricultural works and some trees didn't get there re-pollard,some London planes now look splendid and show very little sign of fungal colonization,again i'll get pics and post ..

When your over the in the UK Nick i'd be honored to show you some proper pollards and and few good watering holes.. ohh have you ever checked out Kew Gardens a great arboreatum

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Trouble with your last pic Nick is the inevitable decay will spead to whats left of the limbs making the tree a potential hazzard imo,proper pollarding imo involves all the branches being cut back to the main trunk and pollard head.

The tree in your pic also not being sarcastic looks an eyesaw..

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Nick I fail to see the difference in your 2 last pics. they both look like re-topped trees

 

[Nickrosis]

Trouble with your last pic Nick is the inevitable decay will spead to whats left of the limbs making the tree a potential hazzard imo,

Maybe... I see what you mean.

For a large limb to fall, though, the decay would have to move soooo far back down, and it doesn't take a whole lot of holding wood to support a pollarded tree with very little mass. In time, it could happen, but a similar risk applies to a simple bole, in my mind.

The thing about pollarding... Well first, the second to the last picture shown has just had 5-10 years of growth cut off = topping. The tree now has huge wounds to close over which will take years to do. In the meantime, decay will advance quickly and deeply into the tree. Since we know they won't prune it for many more years, entire main branches will likely break when it grows another 5+ meters or 15+ feet.

The about pollarding is that it's a small wound. You're cutting such a small branch by comparison that the tree can close the wound in a growing season or so. The risk of decay developing - much less advancing - is much less, particularly with a good species. This makes me comfortable with a tree like this:

The cuts are small so the wounds close quickly, reducing the chance of decay. The woundwood is developing on the ends, showing that the tree's reaction wood is not being removed with each pruning cycle. All of the limbs appear to be well attached to the trunk. My only concern is that so many limbs come out at the same point on the trunk there - perhaps it was headed in the nursery like so many trees for a "bushy" look. Nonetheless, my same concern would exist if it were never pollarded.

 

[Nickrosis]

When your over the in the UK Nick i'd be honored to show you some proper pollards and and few good watering holes.. ohh have you ever checked out Kew Gardens a great arboreatum

I would love to - and no I haven't. I never left continental Europe while I was there for a summer. It's so cheap to fly - I've had 11 flights already this year! The cost to fly to Heathrow from New York is just crazy - as low as $400. I can't even fly to the West Coast for that sometimes! You'll hear from me.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

You'll hear from me.

you'll be more than welcome,hey I could even rope you in for a day of Arb work Brit style, wages would be a couple of days lodging,great British beer and fantastic British grub cooked by hers truely ,she makes the best roast beef dinner in a 20 mile radius [MOTHER LIVES 21 MILS AWAY LOL ]....

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

you'll be more than welcome,hey I could even rope you in for a day of Arb work Brit style, wages would be a couple of days lodging,great British beer and fantastic British grub cooked by hers truely ,she makes the best roast beef dinner in a 20 mile radius [MOTHER LIVES 21 MILS AWAY LOL ]....

Who all is that invite open too

 

[Nickrosis]

you'll be more than welcome,hey I could even rope you in for a day of Arb work Brit style, wages would be a couple of days lodging,great British beer and fantastic British grub cooked by hers truely ,she makes the best roast beef dinner in a 20 mile radius [MOTHER LIVES 21 MILS AWAY LOL ]....

You're killing me! It would be awesome!

 

[treeseer]

"Pollarding without doubt shortens the potential life span of a tree"

Rolla I've heard the opposite; there are pollards on your island that are several hundred years old. Check the Ancient Tree Forum.

I'd like to see pollarding done more in the states. With buckets the mtc cost would not be all that high.