Pollarding?

[Le Sanglier]

There is nothing wrong with pollarding, trees like limes,planes etc do not suffer and I think that a nice gnarly knuckle in winter looks good;

you simply cannot let trees get away in an urban enviroment, I might be a bit controversial when I say that a bit of college brainwashing against pollards might be at force here, what is the point of say, carefully reducing to growth points a line of limes close together in a street, they regrow like mad and within one year you are back where you started.

I remember a tree officer telling me to cut to growth points on a Crack Willow!

We all know the trees that don't like it, so avoid going too hard on those.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Le Sanglier
spelling

[David Humphries]

I believe we will see a reduced cycle of pollarding on our street trees here in the Uk.

 

The urban heat island, will be a significant factor in Pollard management,

in terms of increasing the urban canopy cover in our towns & cities.

 

"The 2003 summer heatwave resulted in about 600 excess deaths in London"

 

& I also read somewhere recently that there was a dramatic rise in premature baby deaths across europe in that and the subsequent heathwaves.

 

London LA's are taking this onboard & I understand that there is a growing aspiration for a far greater canopy cover in the coming years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited December 10, 2010 by Monkey-D

[Le Sanglier]

so not pollarding trees will save countless thousands of lives? not forgetting the premature births..........hum, well I will ponder that one

[frenchclimber]

There was me thinking that it was also about crown root balance,and restricting the spread of large roots in an urban environment, to minimise structural damage to buildings etc in the close vicinity ?

 

Out here they pollard planes, limes and cherries to create knuckles, and quite honestly as long as they are maintained correctly, as they mostly are, they have a vague appeal.

 

I am aware of the cost implications of this work, and in the harsh economic climate in the UK, where councils will be cutting back dramatically, this work will probably reduce.

 

Out here the contonierres(local commune workers, a bit like the old parish banksman) do this work religiously every year with MEWPS, half baked as you like.

 

JohnB

[Mesterh]

Does anyone know if what i have posted eg my last two posts are fair comments at all?

 

I am just learning and appreciate all comments

 

Thank you

 

 

All comments are fair unless you are personally attacking someone so dont worry about that.

 

 

Hmm not sure about the tree canopy protecting us from the sun unless there is a massive amount for planting.

 

I dunno what the big deal is with anti pollarding.

 

Yes its great if a reduction is carried out in the earlyish stages of a trees development then maintained, but it doesnt happen.

 

I think sometimes people forget that others put a lot of money into there property and would like to enjoy it and their little bit of private space.

 

When a tree unowned by them, and more often under the care of the LA is allowed to grow unmaintained and unchecked then surely they have a right to get something done and a 2 meter reduction usually doesnt fit the bill.

 

Pollard them but on a regular basis and all is happy.

[RobArb]

surely this is a case then of right plant, right place? I don't have any problem pollarding especially when it prolongs the life of a tree that otherwise would have been cut down.

[Bolt]

oh sorry, i mean overall, generally speaking for most trees- why, are there some trees that pollarding is a better choice than a crown reduction?

 

 

 

I realise there may be different reasons why a pollard may be better than a crown reduction for example when there are disease/pests or decay etc in the crown and need to bring it below for safety reasons but i should have asked the question- "Assuming there are not any disease/pests or decay etc in the crown are there some trees that pollarding is a better choice than a crown reduction with maintaining the trees natural character in mind?

 

As i have seen the re growth from a pollard on London Plain and lime trees which looks like a toilet brush with lots of quite straight growth, where as i would prefer to look at the trees natural bendy characteristics.

 

Re: Pollards and Bog Brushes....

 

In the UK its purely cultural, meaning pollarding aka hacking a tree in half has became widely accepted as a form of tree management despite the fact its the most ridiculous form of tree pruning known to man.

 

The main reason its ridiculous is that when you pollard a tree you lose the natural stem taper of the branch, leaving a repugnant stub. The natural stem taper gives a tree its graceful appearance. Topping aka pollarding destroys the trees' natural appearance and leaves what can only be described as a mutilated or butchered tree.

 

In my humble, it depends on the effect you are after.

 

 

This isn't pollarding, its simply loppin-n-toppin. Maybe, over time, something good will come of it, probably not.

 

In the UK, street trees are more likely to simply be felled and replaced by some overpriced oversized sapling that either sucumbs to summer drought or Friday night hoodlums.

 

A genuine, proper style pollard will see it all come and go, and probably outlast it all.

 

There is some good stuff (IMO) on this link (other pollard posts are available - terms and conditions apply - the value of street trees may go up as well as down - you home is at risk if you don't maintrain a tree whos roots its secured upon (in clay areas)).

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/picture-forum/5149-way-they-pollard-limes-glasgow.html

 

The photo on Post 1 of that link (TCDartmoor) isn't of what I would call a pollards. These are incompleted 50% dismantles.

 

However cut to page 5, post 41 (JHancock) now this is what I call pollarding. Its not a natural tree shape, but its not pretending to be.

There is not a lot in the western word that isn't managed to a certain extent. I don't think its butchery, I like it, but I understand some don't because they like the illusion that trees in developed locations are 'natural'.

 

Of course, on the continent, they do it with a whole different style. I am sure that they aren't all wandering around wringing their hand wondering if they should self flagellate.

 

Page 6, post 54 (SBlair) has some cracking Italian examples. Look at the shapes - Mega Bonsi - there is no way these shapes are achieved by a grunt with a saw, this is years on careful and attentive pruning. They are a bit more worthy of a photo than the bog standard 10% thinning here 30% reduction there rubbish. These are worth driving to see!

Page 6, Post 55 (RRule) Has another fine european mainland example.

Page 7, Post 63 (JJ Gairn) Has more fantastic knuckles.

 

If you kick around provincial towns and villages, you come across allsorts, much of the pollarding is done by old boys who have been doing it, unpaid in many cases, for years. In the village where I used to live, all the trees in the square and the churchyard were pollarded on a rolling 5 year cycle, and the arisings used on the Nov 5th bonfire night fire. That was a tradition that went back further than anyone can remember. The trees looked fantastic, and they looked just the same in photos from 20years back, 40 years back, 60 years back.

 

Are we really so arrogant as to think we now whats for the best, when this kind of activity has been conducted (one way or another) over hundreds of years?

 

 

 

 

 

 

where has my cider all gone......

Edited December 10, 2010 by Bolt

[ry2]

Thanks for all your replies peeps much appreciated! Makes an interesting read