Silver Maple Pollard?

[PatrickFirwood]

Hi

 

I've recently been approached by someone with a large avenue of mature silver maple trees that he's looking to have pollard. I don't have much experience working with Silver Maples, could anyone offer any on how they would respond to a pollard?

[Dan Maynard]

Like to know others thoughts but I think they'll sprout like mad.

[Steve Bullman]

Yep they’ll be a right mess!

[Ty Korrigan]

Before I started working for our towns parks department, they did alot of their own tree work using a platform.

These 2, a birch and a silver maple are outside my house.

Sure, they look lovely now but in the Winter a trained eye sees the cuts which are 15-20cm, veritable rot pockets with long vigourous regrowth, too dense and heavy.

   Stuart

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Will regrow with a vengeance, so no worry there.

Creates a rot pocket on the cut so needs redoing every few years, then taking down after 2/3 cycles as fungi start to turn the wood to mush.

 

En Bref, you can do it, but it’s putting off the inevitable.

[Khriss]

11 hours ago, PatrickFirwood said:

Hi

 

I've recently been approached by someone with a large avenue of mature silver maple trees that he's looking to have pollard. I don't have much experience working with Silver Maples, could anyone offer any on how they would respond to a pollard?

Could go back to him and rediscuss pollarding, he may just think its what you Have to do... Are they on his land or a boundary? Busy area or quiet lane? K

[PatrickFirwood]

Thanks for the replies and advice. The trees are outside the front of his house, it’s a big estate that he moved in to around a year ago which has been neglected. I’ve attached some photos below, think there are 40 in total and some have died. Would it be possible to plant a different species in between them, and then removed the maples once the other trees have grown? 

[agg221]

2 hours ago, PatrickFirwood said:

Would it be possible to plant a different species in between them, and then removed the maples once the other trees have grown? 

Yes, with some caveats.

 

If you have a double-row of trees and one dies, it is surrounded on three sides. That means it is shaded, so will tend to grow towards the light rather than forming a balanced crown. If you remove a pair to create a gap, then re-plant a new pair of something else, they should stay relatively straight.

 

If he wants a uniform looking avenue then the only option will be to have the trees all the same, which means for example removing every other pair and replanting, but if he wants it to look varied then you could look at removing the poorest specimens in pairs and re-planting with something else in the gaps, then once those are at a reasonable size, removing the rest and re-planting any large remaining gaps.

 

If it's a decent sized estate, depending on soil and location, I would look at lime, beech or (only available as large specimen trees but if he has the budget and wants an instant impact) disease-resistant elm.

 

Alec

[Dan Maynard]

Don't think I'd pollard those, there is plenty of space. Remove lower limbs would open up the view, and take out most of the tangled look.

[PatrickFirwood]

Some great ideas to consider that I hadn't thought of. Thanks for the advise everyone, i really appreciate it🙏 

 

We have done some searches on the local councils website and the property isn't in a conservation area, and there are no listed TPOs on any of the trees. However, there are applications for work to certain trees (not the silver maples) dated back around 20 years ago... why would there be applications if there are no listed TPO trees, and  the property isn't in a conservation area?

 

I guess my concern is, considering the potential scale of the work to be done to the Silver Maples, and the number of them, would it still be best to seek permission/ notify the local council? or as they are a group of trees, would they fall under protection from the Forestry Commission and require a felling license (If we were to remove any).