Pollards, the forgotten art-discussion

[David oakman]

I blame you Stevie. I am thinking of cutting and pasting your Avatar to the gay thread i think you are a good contender with those tights on :lol:

[Albedo]

Hamad - you being a 'master of fine tip reducion' and our Gavin being chomping at the bit to take down huge trees - Maybe you two should team up.

 

By the way I agree with skyhuck on a lot of what he's been saying lately - makes a change from a year ago Mr Huck

 

PS Hamad - never let the facts get in the way of a good story aye mate

 

Old pollards were aerial coppice - keeping the young shoots away from cows, lions, moose etc. Ask the National Trust in Cumbria, they've got tons of old neglected ones

[scotspine1]

Shigo's central message that topping is harmful to trees is still as valid today as it was in the 80s and 90s. Most so-called 'pollarding' done in the UK is topping and we've a long way to go before the general public understands this.

[MattyF]

Shigo's central message that topping is harmful to trees is still as valid today as it was in the 80s and 90s. Most so-called 'pollarding' done in the UK is topping and we've a long way to go before the general public understands this.

 

I always thought along those lines tim...im not so sure these days though i would like to see that tree in another hundred years... problem is maybe a new owner will take it on, get a arborist in and it will be condemned because it doe not apply to shigos law,im not saying that work is horrific because i think it is but i would like to see how it reacts....my theory is larger trees where cut like this hundreds of years ago because limbs cut to that size are easyer to harvest than cutting a huge trunk at ground level????

[jonathanc]

Hamadryad

 

Interesting pic. I think the secret of pollarding is once you start you have to carry on at the right intervals. The junction of the regrowth is limited in strength at the point where the pollard was first cut and if it is overstood,ie allowed to get too big, it will not be able to support the ever increasing weight of the new bough. The result is what you see here, coupled with weaking by fungal attack which has taken advantage of the earlier wound. It's the same with coppicing. In that case if you miss a rotation you lose the stool, but done regularly it will survive for many centuries, possibly longer than if the tree was left to grow and decline naturally.

Jonathanc

[bob]

my biggest issue with proper large pollards is they just start to look like tree and they need chopping back again:confused1:

although young maintained ones look ok although i can not think where there is what i would deem a proper pollard within an hours drive of my house:blushing:

[dazlog]

Mm, this thread is heavy, my mind is buzzing. Like whats being said, drove past a whole hedge line of pollards up in the borders (scottish) last week. Going back next week will try and get some photo`s. I would say the one`s i saw must have been about 350 years ish. Some of the cuts revealed alot of hollow centre`s make good bat cave`s lol.

Need a cup of tea now.

[David Humphries]

 

. It's the same with coppicing. In that case if you miss a rotation you lose the stool, but done regularly it will survive for many centuries, possibly longer than if the tree was left to grow and decline naturally.

Jonathanc

 

Not sure I would totaly agree with this, I'm not a regular coppicer, but these Hornbeam stools up at Heartwood, are well out of cycle, and I don't see why they could't be brought back in, with selective and sympathetic thinning.

 

 

I'd wager that a stool even 6 or 7 cycles lapsed, could be rejuvenated.

 

 

Welcome to the site Jonathan

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[skyhuck]

Not sure I would totaly agree with this, I'm not a regular coppicer, but these Hornbeam stools up at Heartwood, are well out of cycle, and I don't see why they could't be brought back in, with selective and sympathetic thinning.

 

 

I'd wager that a stool even 6 or 7 cycles lapsed, could be rejuvenated.

 

 

Welcome to the site Jonathan

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I would agree David, I don't think there are any hard and fast rules as to coppicing intervals.

 

I think the just cut them once they had reached the size they require.

[Andy Collins]

I tink whether we are interested in hamas theories or not, we should allow serious topics on the forum to be discussed properly, rather than detract from the topic with other stuff. Plenty of room elsewhere for messing about.