Reduce, pollard or coppice. Your advice required

[caledonian bob]

One of my customers has a large estate and, within the grounds is a lake. On the dam of the lake is a line of trees consisting of Alder, Ash and Willow. The landowner has had an engineers report carried out for insurance purposes on the dam and the report determined that the trees may be blown over in high winds thus, breaching the dam.

Question is, would you reduce or perhaps pollard or coppice ?

[Mr Ming]

I would go for a mix of around 75% coppice 25% pollard, all the species you mention will respond well to coppicing and pollarding. Anything with a nice single stem which isn’t leaning over the water I would consider pollarding.

 

They will create some great habitat :thumbup1:

 

How long is the top of the dam?

[Charlieh]

http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEHO0210BRRU-E-E.pdf

 

 

page 44 relates to trees and vegetation on resevior dams covered by the reservior act 1975 not sure of the size of your lake but suprisingly quite a few lakes are covered by this act.

 

Its key to ensure that if you coppice or pollard that you monitor regrowth as dead stumps and root systems could cause a bigger issue with the integrity of the dam structure than having healthy trees on it.

[Daniël Bos]

Looks like there has been a coppicing routine in place before?

[caledonian bob]

Mr Ming - dam top is about 200m long

Charlieh - thanks for the info, not sure if it directly relates to us in Scotland but I'm sure we'll have something similar. It would suggest that the dam should be clear of trees although, my client wants to retain the trees in some format.

[treequip]

Fell em all, it will make more room for the back cast

[Perkins]

Concur with Mr Ming, Coppice mostly and maybe pollard any that have a decent stem with no included bark.

 

Nice spot to work.

 

The big lump of willow will be a mixture of coppice and pollard I guess.

The Ash will coppice nicely.

Wouldn't mess about with reduction work in such a rural location. Plus coppicing generates more logs obviously!

A few Alders thrown in there would be good for the future.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Perkins

[woody paul]

Pollard and coppice each tree looks like its had this done in the past, rather than do them all together work out a rotation to spread out the inpack on bird and animals.

[caledonian bob]

Thanks for all your replies. The general consensus is a mixture of pollard and coppice which, is what I had planned but it's good to get your views as well.