Best practice for re-pollarding Lombardy poplars?

[kentjames]

Hi Folks,

 

I have the job of re-pollarding some Lombardy poplars. They were last pollarded 10 years ago so as you can imagine, they are reaching for the clouds once more.

 

What is the best practice for repollarding them? Would it be to remove all skyward growth back to within 30cm of previous pruning points and reduce the scaffold to a simple trunk or would it be better to try and shape the resulting tree? Also would you remove all the growth entirely, as in below the pollard level, or would you leave it?

 

I know roughly what im look at doing with the trees but i am interested to hear what others do too?

 

James

 

Pics:

[Tom Wilding]

Fell the buggers!

[Le Sanglier]

Personally I top 'em to previous and shorten the lower branches to a metre or two.

Scalp them! they'll come back no prob.

[Marc Lewis]

Top and lop

[ScottF]

Prune just above the rootstock then dig them out with an excavator.

[Arb Rhino]

95%-98% reduction followed by 100% stump reduction with stump grinder 😉👍

 

 

Sent using Rhinos Arbtalk Mobile App

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

Be very wary of the anchor points, partic if they were done some time ago as appears to be the case.

 

BS3998, for lapsed pollards, recommends leaving stubs 3-5 times there basal diameter. A start point maybe.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Paul

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

love lombardies!

[Le Sanglier]

love lombardies!

 

So, out of curiosity Tony what's your response to the OP?

 

How do you deal with 'em (Given a free hand)

[kentjames]

Be very wary of the anchor points, partic if they were done some time ago as appears to be the case.

 

BS3998, for lapsed pollards, recommends leaving stubs 3-5 times there basal diameter. A start point maybe.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Paul

 

Thanks everyone so far - removal is not an option if it was i wouldnt be asking

 

Paul, thanks for that, certainly a good snippet there.

 

And yes please Tony - what would you do?

 

Thanks guys