Pollards, the forgotten art-discussion

[phirow]

Hi you are not on your own, to pollard is the best way to save trees. if you ever drive through Northern FRANCE up to the Netherlands in autumn through to spring this is the only way they mange suburban trees. The ancient have always done it, let's face it is only high coppice. If it is done at the right time of year and then rotated every 3-5 -7 years

the tree is healthy and a lot safer and the punter has a supply of fire wood.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hi you are not on your own, to pollard is the best way to save trees. if you ever drive through Northern FRANCE up to the Netherlands in autumn through to spring this is the only way they mange suburban trees. The ancient have always done it, let's face it is only high coppice. If it is done at the right time of year and then rotated every 3-5 -7 years

the tree is healthy and a lot safer and the punter has a supply of fire wood.

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

A day of remarkable meetings with wonderful pollards:001_cool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[corylus]

Fantastic thread, which kept on topic for a surprising amount of time. (Lady Gaga, I ask you??)

 

Cheers Hama for starting this. Some amazing trees and lots to learn. The old printers been hard at it. Lots of bedtime reading.

 

Anyway I have been looking at a few pollards here in Swaledale (In the north, sorry). I know Rackham came to have a look at a few and published an article or two many moons ago. Sadly some have now vanished.

 

But the good news is that our local archaeology group have started surveying our veteran trees, or as they put it trees of 'a certain age'.

 

Heres a link to some records/pix and a nice pic from them of one next farm along.

 

No doubt i'll have a few questions too when all has been absorbed.

 

Swaledale Ancient Trees HER

 

Edited October 5, 2011 by corylus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Fantastic thread, which kept on topic for a surprising amount of time. (Lady Gaga, I ask you??)

 

Cheers Hama for starting this. Some amazing trees and lots to learn. The old printers been hard at it. Lots of bedtime reading.

 

Anyway I have been looking at a few pollards here in Swaledale (In the north, sorry). I know Rackham came to have a look at a few and published an article or two many moons ago. Sadly some have now vanished.

 

But the good news is that our local archaeology group have started surveying our veteran trees, or as they put it trees of 'a certain age'.

 

Heres a link to some records/pix and a nice pic from them of one next farm along.

 

No doubt i'll have a few questions too when all has been absorbed.

 

Swaledale Ancient Trees HER

 

 

nice tree, and glad you enjoyed the thread, although i did not think it was worthy of printing and bedtime reading! lol

 

Im reading tree anatomy by shigo and fungal strategies in bed at the moment when i have early nights!

[Head Ranger Pete]

I havent read the whole thread , but i'd just note that we are still pollarding - both to preserve trees that would otherwise have to come down (somewhat in the face of my signature ) and also creating new ones where appropriate to the landscape.

 

For example one of my sites has an HLS which requires the creation of 8 new pollards to continue an ancient line - currently the trees are little more than sappling, but they have been earmarked for pollardisation when they get a bit bigger.

 

Incidentally have you ever been to knighthayes near tiverton (which isnt one of mine , but i was there for a tree risk assesment course recently) they have the most amazing pollard oaks which are a hybrid between cork oak and english, and are absolutely vast

Edited October 5, 2011 by Head Ranger Pete

[corylus]

I havent printed the thread. Would take too much editing of off topic nonsense and chivvying to make it worthwhile.

 

No, I have printed stuff gleaned from some of the links included.

 

Never come across 'Fungal strategies in bed'. Will have a look on Amazon. Sounds interesting.:lol:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

lmao:lol:

[corylus]

One of the links in the thread pointed me in the direction of Ted Green's Fungi, trees and pollards, the bedtime reading I referred to (amongst others).

 

In the paragraph on page 3 on 'wispy' or 'whiskery' trees the latter part mentions 'I wonder if our ancestors recognised that the height that the autumn leaves remain, is the height to cut when starting a new pollard'

 

Could anyone clarify if that is on trees with the 'wispy' growth or trees in general? It is not something I have noticed but intend to have a damn good look this autumn.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

i think he is talking about "pippy oaks" mainly, after all not all oaks are wiskery.