Pollards, the forgotten art-discussion

[RobRainford]

You should come along to the ATF events!

 

Speaking of which, I'm assuming your there tomorrow? I'll be there on Saturday!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Speaking of which, I'm assuming your there tomorrow? I'll be there on Saturday!

 

No, gutted, just dont have the money for the travel or stay over.

 

Ironicly had a sudden surge in freelance climbing and the two days plus my weekend have all been booked up! from skint to loaded a week too late to make a difference!

 

 

on the plus side it means I can book and pay for the PTI and Claus seminar!

[Mycoman]

Phew, spent more than a couple of days catching up with this one, fascinating stuff.

 

Afraid I know jack about modern urban forestry, not my line, but in Britain generally I reckon we need more pollards. Trees don't need to be confined to woods - those gorgeous shots from the Basque Country are of (lapsed) wood pasture. And all the veterans, wow.

[lowerforest]

Hamadryad said "Cant believe this video has only been viewed 808 times!"

 

just had a look at the link, then did a little more searching for vids re pollards, veterans, UK ancient trees - there are a few to be found (inc some with Ted G) but I was surprised by how few 'hits' many of the vids had recorded. Maybe tree-talk just doesn't make for popular viewing or interest, except for die-hard tree fanatics.

 

However, it was nice to see a few 'old friends' in a few of the vids - both trees and people - and Ted's enthusiasm never wanes from one year to the next! Thanks for the link.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hamadryad said "Cant believe this video has only been viewed 808 times!"

 

just had a look at the link, then did a little more searching for vids re pollards, veterans, UK ancient trees - there are a few to be found (inc some with Ted G) but I was surprised by how few 'hits' many of the vids had recorded. Maybe tree-talk just doesn't make for popular viewing or interest, except for die-hard tree fanatics.

 

However, it was nice to see a few 'old friends' in a few of the vids - both trees and people - and Ted's enthusiasm never wanes from one year to the next! Thanks for the link.

 

Ted is a leg-end aint he! always a good crack with Ted, I wish I could spend more time with him, I love his banter:thumbup:

 

Got a nice pollard, a proper working firewood pollard from the urban context, a rare thing but on the increase again especialy in the town fringes. I can see it happening all over again, and it fills my heart with joy, in a few more years chip and gassification boilers will be normal, and trees wil once again be worked as we had done for so many centuries before.

 

I had intended to give up practical arboriculture, but now im not so sure, I may diversify my business and offer planting and management of sustainable pollards for fuel. Some of us are old enough to still know how to do it properly!

 

 

 

 

 

[lowerforest]

Nice images, and nice job!

 

Its always pleasing to see a tree given a new lease of life when it starts to get a little too large for its situation, rather than taking it down in its entirety. As my Dad says, '100 years to grow, 100 minutes to tip it over'. ho hum..

 

Hamadryad says "I can see it happening all over again.... and trees wil once again be worked as we had done for so many centuries before"

 

Out of interest, whereabouts do you envisage such tree management programmes being undertaken - within existing commercial forestry plantations, or would you want to see newly-created woodland, specifically planted for the purpose?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Nice images, and nice job!

 

Its always pleasing to see a tree given a new lease of life when it starts to get a little too large for its situation, rather than taking it down in its entirety. As my Dad says, '100 years to grow, 100 minutes to tip it over'. ho hum..

 

Hamadryad says "I can see it happening all over again.... and trees wil once again be worked as we had done for so many centuries before"

 

Out of interest, whereabouts do you envisage such tree management programmes being undertaken - within existing commercial forestry plantations, or would you want to see newly-created woodland, specifically planted for the purpose?

 

both and more:thumbup: im planting several this spring, an oak an ash and a beech in my garden, we need them everywhere.

 

though I am thinking large plantations of managed pollards, as both provision of bio fuels and increasing biodiversity, two main goals in one.

[lowerforest]

I can certainly imagine the possibility of it happening within established 'heritage' sites, such as Royal Parks with associated woodland, where the concept could possibly find favour with the conservation/preservation/heritage restoration advocates.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I can certainly imagine the possibility of it happening within established 'heritage' sites, such as Royal Parks with associated woodland, where the concept could possibly find favour with the conservation/preservation/heritage restoration advocates.

 

I can imagine a few decades from now pollarding being an everyday event, servicing the biofuel plants around the country with the "waste" managing trees in the urban context as well this way, just run with it, we used to and have a tree heritage to die for because of it.

[Mycoman]

But the genius bit about pollards is you get multi-purpose land use. Since medieval wood pastures, and before, these trees have grown on land which could also be grazed by stock, even sometimes underplanted with crops. AND you could get honey, fruit, other 'non-timber forestry products'.

 

It's a relatively recent phenomenon (and particularly north European) for there to be such distinction between agriculture and forestry. Imagine around 50 pollards per hectare in a field. You're not going to lose an appreciable amount of grass, you've also got a sustainable source of fuel, carbon sequestration, catchment management tool, etc.