Topped/pollarded?

[David Humphries]

God help us you've released The Kracken

 

 

Heee hee hee

 

 

After that trip I now dream of pollards

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Four arbtalkers taking a shadey break and discussing trees in a pollard @ croft castle today:001_cool:

 

 

[MattyF]

Did someone mention 'Pollards' ?

 

 

 

 

 

.

That is impressive ! Would love to plan a trip to see them if they are accessible to the public?

[agg221]

Pollarding was rarely carried out in woodlands only used to define boundaries. Pollarding was used in fields or hedgerows where there were livestock. Woodlands had large banks and ditches to stop deer.

 

There are some notable exceptions to this - pollarding in royal forests was performed particularly high to allow riders on horseback to pass under the trees. The hornbeams in Epping Forest are pollarded at about 10ft, which makes re-pollarding to maintain them interesting to say the least!

 

Alec

[David Humphries]

That is impressive ! Would love to plan a trip to see them if they are accessible to the public?

 

 

Basque region of northern Spain Matty.

 

That whole area is just hundreds & hundreds of acres of lapsed beech pollards.

 

If you ever go to that neck of the woods I'll get you the exact location

 

 

 

 

.

[Crazy Cutter]

There are some notable exceptions to this - pollarding in royal forests was performed particularly high to allow riders on horseback to pass under the trees. The hornbeams in Epping Forest are pollarded at about 10ft, which makes re-pollarding to maintain them interesting to say the least!

 

Alec

 

Staverton Park in Suffolk also has some very high ones which Rackham calls giraffe pollards. They must have been a nightmare to cut with an axe unless they were always cut small?

 

Those french pollards look lovely, and also look as though pollarding was stopped more recently than the uk. Same they aren't here good source of firewood!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

let us not forget that pollards where also within deer parks, a high pollard is a fine place to sit and shoot a shy deer with a bow, in fact many a deer stalker still finds the pollard a fine place to take a deer.

[sloth]

Thanks all, some good interesting replies and thoughts. What do you all make of the BS3998 guidelines for starting pollards? Do you think that is how our current ancient pollards where created, and if not, how do you think pollards started and maintained in this manner will compare in hundreds of years time? Will they host the same habitats, species, niches and structural form both visually/externally, and within the tree; ie. Decay formation and cavity shapes/locations within? Be interested in any thoughts... cheers!

[phirow]

Why is it that when you mention pollard all tpo officers do a whoppsie and claim that the regrowth is un-safe. I find pollarding looks better and comparing the re-growth to topping or reduction is actually less.

Again if anyone is able to drive through france belgium netherlands at this time of year through to spring pollarding is the thing that is done.

The more you pollard the faster the re-growth. The cycle of pollarding is the same as coppice from three to seven years depending on what you want to use the wood for.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Thanks all, some good interesting replies and thoughts. What do you all make of the BS3998 guidelines for starting pollards? Do you think that is how our current ancient pollards where created, and if not, how do you think pollards started and maintained in this manner will compare in hundreds of years time? Will they host the same habitats, species, niches and structural form both visually/externally, and within the tree; ie. Decay formation and cavity shapes/locations within? Be interested in any thoughts... cheers!

 

No, the current view of pollarding and how it was done is not a reflection of the old practice revealed in their body languages, decay etc