Re-pollard horse chestnut

[Jim Curtis]

Hello arborists

 

I wonder if anyone can help with some advice. I've just moved to a house with a nice horse chestnut tree in the front garden. Tree was pollarded at a height of around 4m some time ago. New growth from each pollard cut point in the form of straight-ish poles are up to 4" thick at the base and up to 5m long. Drains and drive seem undamaged by tree, which has a pleasant shape and apart from the leaf issue which affects HCs seems healthy. I would like to keep the tree. There is a TPO on it and I will observe the necessary protocols.

 

My questions are, would I be advised to re-pollard the tree? if so at what point above the original pollard cut should the new growth be cut? should the cut be angled or square? And most importantly for me, what time of year should this be done to minimise any threat to the health of the tree?

 

I'm quite capable of the practical work myself, I live in an area where there is plenty of work for arborists and they seem thin on the ground, anyway it seems dishonest to ask someone round for technical advice when you intend to do the work yourself. I was hoping readers of this forum would be prepared to offer advice on the subject, and I'm grateful for any suggestions.

 

 

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

Thanks for your honesty, re. doing it yourself.

 

HCs tend to rot quickly from the pollard heads, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

That will probably do for the tree in the end, but no harm in carrying on for a few cycles.

 

I would reduce to 5’ above the pollard heads, so it’s easy to reach. Try to take it back to a leaf node or bud or whatever not leave a ‘blind’ stub, whilst keeping a nice shape.

 

Late autumn/winter is best.

 

Opinions may vary.

 

[Dan Maynard]

I'd agree with Mick, you would normally recommend a pollard cycle to keep cutting at the same head but making 4" cuts is a bit big so you're likely to end up with big decay pockets.

 

Once you cut it then don't leave it so long next time, so the cuts are more like 2" diameter.

[dangb93]

Remember that the growth being approx 100mm at the base and up to 5m in length, will be bigger and heavier than you may be expecting when cutting it and getting it onto the ground. 
Cut a little higher than desired and make a neat finishing cut where you want the final cut to be. 
Use an appropriate type of cut to remove each section. Research basic felling cut with a directional notch and a hinge, and also have a look at step cuts. 
Finishing cut should be straight across, at 90 degrees to the peice being cut, to minimise the area of wound. 

Above all, take your time and be safe. 

[AHPP]

Curious where you are in the country?

[Jim Curtis]

Just outside Cambridge (UK). One of the downsides of moving to a new area is having to build all contacts and local knowledge from scratch, things that take years to build and are too easily taken for granted. There are upsides however. Apparently.

[Jim Curtis]

Thank you Mick, everything I needed to know, very grateful to you and Arbtalk.

[Chris at eden]

More or less as Mick said but the best time to prune deciduous trees is summer when they are actively growing in my opinion.  The way they can begin to compartmentalise cuts straight away.  The wound response of deciduous trees in the winter is pretty much zero so they don’t compartmentalise until next spring.  Plus, most decay fungi sporulate in the autumn so spores are prolific at that time. That is in an ideal world but trees are pruned year round and as long as done properly should be okay.  As mick and Dan said, keep cuts as small as possible. 

[Jim Curtis]

Thank you Dan, I'll definitely keep on top of it in the future.

[Jim Curtis]

Very grateful for your insights Chris, thank you I'll probably keep reading up on the subject before carrying out the work, there's a lot more to it than it first appears.

[Jim Curtis]

Really helpful advice there Dan, thank you very much for being so specific about the location and type of cut, I really want to get it right, and I'll do that research beforehand as you suggest. I've been fortunate to get so much help from you and your colleagues at Arbtalk.