Pollards, the forgotten art-discussion

[Stephen Blair]

i never said anyone was stupid, i said that folk take the easy option, maybe not everyone, but most, i have worked with guys that were in their 80's, and they would tell me stuff that they had done, their dads had done, and their dads before them, so really they could give you a history lesson over the last 100-150 years, at no time would they ever discuss the amazing pride of the job, they did enjoy it, but back in those days it was hard living, working like hell for a gentry land owner with a hard assed factor cracking the whip, they worked in poor conditions for very little money, and if they got the tree down that was the main thing, any way possible, most of the stories were about near misses and disasters ending up with them getting drunk during the day..

Edited December 23, 2009 by Stephen Blair

[scotspine1]

I am certain they knew as much abou the way wood/fungi and the ecosystem functioned as any of us out there doing it today, and probably a LOT more. maybe not biologicaly speaking, but being aware of something and managing it through practice and skill is different to having had an education.

 

trial and error, you soon learn what works and what dont. and what efects you have and there would have been other things that as a consequence became a bonus

 

 

Why are you still an arborist and not out working in the woods making charcoal etc?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Why are you still an arborist and not out working in the woods making charcoal etc?

 

well uptill now because I just loved to climb, and yes for money so what, doesnt mean I dont have pride and enthusiasm for the work, and i want always to be learning interested and betering myself, my work is everything to me?

[Doug Blease]

My first job in forestry was on the Chestnut Coppice's of Hampshire/West Sussex.

 

I LOVED IT

 

I do enjoy the climbing, but I would give anything to be able to work on coppice sites again. Not many up here though.

[skyhuck]

those old pollards will in time all split themselves to pieces, and doubt many of the best examples of hornbeam and beach have long if we dont act soon.

 

.

 

 

Your arguments seem somewhat contradictory, earlier you where telling us that trees are "self pollarding" and now you are saying they need YOU to save them???

[Stephen Blair]

My first job in forestry was on the Chestnut Coppice's of Hampshire/West Sussex.

 

I LOVED IT

 

I do enjoy the climbing, but I would give anything to be able to work on coppice sites again. Not many up here though.

 

not wanting to burst your bubble or tell you what you think, but i sometimes think back to stuff i used to do and think it would be great, but that was then and sometimes we alter our own memories so many times by thinking about them so much that we start to remember all the good bits and see it through rose tinted glasses a little:001_smile:and my back couldnt handle 8 hrs bent over with a saw, and i like cake and coffee to much now anyway:biggrin:

[Stephen Blair]

but you DID say that these men were basicaly too... mmm stupid to have any idea what they was doing, that they just cut where ever it was less work!

 

 

no i didnt, yet again you have interprited something the wrong way, i did say peolpe take the easy option most of the time, why wouldnt you? Out in the middle of the woods, the guy in charge isnt about and doesnt really know what the end result should look like, so hey ho. Now most of the guys on here might not be like this, i never was but that is the reason i work for myself..

[Knapp]

I'm new to this forum but have been starting new Oak pollards over the last 15 years. I have never used a chainsaw but do all my work by bowsaw. I think it is only when you use handtools you can understand why and how they worked pollards. I think a lot of the modern arboricultural practice has been been thought out to accomodate chainsaw use. Just think about it; all our lapsed pollards owned by local authorities, which are crying out to be re-pollarded, (oh! we don't do that anymore, the Arb Ass tell us it is bad practice now, we prefer to fell the lot when they get too tall). Before chainsaws, no one in their right mind would let a tree grow so far that it was then damned hard work to cut by hand. Now buzz, whallop, the whole tree is down within minutes and everyone says how much better now that leaves don't fall on the cars etc.

Anyway, I cut the head off maiden Oaks, some can be 300mm in dia at cut height. The essential thing is leave all the lower branches on and cut just above a good selection. With a bow saw it is only feasible to cut directly across with a large diameter, so the angled cut is not done. Presumably rot starts quicker, or else why the angled cut? Does anybody put earth sods on the cut pollard head to keep the sun from drying it out? I heard this is where the term 'sod it' comes from.

Keep the branch structure young, it is easier to cut with axes and saws. Most timber in mediaeval houses was youngish, read Hewitt.

The long low branches have upright epicormic growth; treat these as individual pollards and get a flying hedge.

Pollards are fascinating, each one individual and you only learn by doing. As far as I can make out 'topping' is what other foolish people do but how can you start a pollard without doing this?

I don't climb (I'm scared of heights) and I admire those who do but I wonder in times gone by if anyone did much of this. I suspect most trees were working trees and capable of being done by hand. The tall trees would have been few and far between, for special purposes such as cathedrals roof beams. Useless artefacts for most people.

Everything has got too technical, it has its place in populace areas but why have corporate woodland owners become so timid they seem scared of cutting trees anymore. All we get is crown lifting and thin by a useless 10 percent etc.

Thanks for letting me have a rant, I will now take an aspirin and go to bed.

[Stephen Blair]

welcome knapp, what an amazing first post, dont you dare go to bed yet. You must have arms like pop eye mate, get yourself a silky. welcome to the forum:thumbup1:

[Mesterh]

thats a damn long post but not totally sure what your getting at:confused1:

 

 

I only half read the first post, sry.