Pollarding a Poplar Tree

[Mark Bolam]

Also don't forget to accidentally add a couple of zero's to your quote.

 

Anyone who lets their tree get in a state like that deserves to be thoroughly rinsed.

[Paul Cleaver]

28 minutes ago, Alex O said:

I think depending on how the previous pollard points look depends on where you can take it, if they look goosed I would take it back to decent wood, but I know many who wouldn’t.

if there goosed then pruning lower will result in them being goosed again with a larger wound. You could do it then explain to the land owner the tree/s may need felling next time around, and consider planting new trees in the meantime if feasible

[Ty Korrigan]

Ever noticed that American arborists just don't "get" pollarding?

When I've posted examples of French street trees some of those guys go mental over them.

Last time was a line of limes I do every 2 years in September.

Oooo the shrieks of horror still echo online someplace.

I'm sure that the ISA handbook must touch on pollards but I guess it just ain't crane and 24" Morbark kinda work so no-one does them over their.

  Stuart

 

[Alex O]

if there goosed then pruning lower will result in them being goosed again with a larger wound. You could do it then explain to the land owner the tree/s may need felling next time around, and consider planting new trees in the meantime if feasible

Not necessary if there is only a small amount of decay finding decent wood might only be a case of taking a couple of feet off. If the tree is that bad on the previous points then I would definitely leave them otherwise I’m just helping the decay spread quicker.

[Paul Cleaver]

35 minutes ago, Alex O said:

Not necessary if there is only a small amount of decay finding decent wood might only be a case of taking a couple of feet off.

No. If there is only a small amount of decay then the tree is compartmentalising the wound well. You cut a couple of feet off and you are putting the tree under more stress. More stress = less vitality = less chance of the new wound healing well.

We are talking about poplars of course

Edited July 18, 2019 by Paul Cleaver
added sentance

[benedmonds]

1 hour ago, Ty Korrigan said:

Ever noticed that American arborists just don't "get" pollarding?

When I've posted examples of French street trees some of those guys go mental over them.

Last time was a line of limes I do every 2 years in September.

Oooo the shrieks of horror still echo online someplace.

I'm sure that the ISA handbook must touch on pollards but I guess it just ain't crane and 24" Morbark kinda work so no-one does them over their.

  Stuart

 

To be honest that pop was not really pollarded, it was topped or topparded. 

I know many (including myself) use the term pollarding on big pops, willows (..ash, lime, sycamore) but as I understand it a pollard should really be started from a young tree and needs to be maintained...

 

Shigo was not keen so the americans and many brits are pretty anti topping.

https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/WhyToppingHurts.pdf

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by benedmonds

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

9 minutes ago, benedmonds said:

To be honest that pop was not really pollarded, it was topped or topparded. 

I know many (including myself) use the term pollarding on big pops, willows (..ash, lime, sycamore) but as I understand it a pollard should really be started from a young tree and needs to be maintained...

 

An alternative term I've come across is "crown restructuring" which you can't really argue with...but similarly that was more 'lopping' IMO, i.e. a (very) heavy reduction beyond any suitable secondary growth points but still leaving a framework for regeneration (I associate 'topping' being leaving a pole...generally speaking.)

 

Timing = generally summer time is better as more time for the tree to respond and commence some sort of defense reaction...but there's undoubtedly nesting birds in that lot and possibly something more (bats?)

 

Looks an awful job TBH so please allow 'more than' enough time as others have wisely said. 

[Ty Korrigan]

Often a sign of an incompetant climbers work, you know him, the one who screams "I can cut it from here" reaching out with his top handle whilst keeping a full arm wrapped around the trunk...

  Stuart

[ha2424]

Thanks so much for all this advice! I truly appreciate it!! The client is about to sell and the surveyor wants the tree to be pruned before the handover.

[Steve Bullman]

8 hours ago, Ty Korrigan said:

Ever noticed that American arborists just don't "get" pollarding?

When I've posted examples of French street trees some of those guys go mental over them.

Last time was a line of limes I do every 2 years in September.

Oooo the shrieks of horror still echo online someplace.

I'm sure that the ISA handbook must touch on pollards but I guess it just ain't crane and 24" Morbark kinda work so no-one does them over their.

  Stuart

 

Yep, in fact that was one of the reasons I started Arbtalk. Us brits used to get a right slating on the american forums when we posted some of the work we did. They don't understand our ways at all. Arguably they are correct, but then they don't have the land constraints that we have, and having a 70ft Sycamore tree in a garden 20ft long probably isn't quite so common over there.