Pollards, are they out of vogue in the UK?

[Mick Dempsey]

I've seen similar stuff to this in Normandy driving up to the ferry.

[stihlmadasever]

I think to the untrained eye pollarding(in the UK anyway) is looked upon as being lazy.

People expect the tree to be specifically pruned and shaped to enhance the appearance,most people are ignorant to the benefits of pollarding in some species.Just my opinion.

Im just not that experienced in the tree industry yet to know if its a trend or not.

Edited December 21, 2015 by stihlmadasever

[Ty Korrigan]

I've seen similar stuff to this in Normandy driving up to the ferry.

 

Well done Mick, saved me some work there.

The 'tir sevre' sap risers are supposed to aid the tree recovery.

Prissy urban folk like us to shave off all the little epicormic growths that help kickstart a pollards recovery and frown at us when we suggest otherwise.

Ty

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Not entirely relevant but...

A few years back I was working o a willow and felled a large limb into a field full of cows.

Within minutes they were on it munching away.

 

I had similar with Beech! Felled it into field day 1 (farmer was going to move the cattle but hadn't.)

 

Day 2 came back to sort out some brash - and there it wasn't!

[devon TWiG]

I am sure pollarding is viewed by many in the industry and general public as brutal and archaic , and unsympathetic to the aesthetic of trees in an urban environment , It is rarely done these days for it's original purpose ie producing poles out of grazing reach , fodder etc When it is done on street trees it is usually done very neatly so the dead wood stubs , cavities etc that would have been created when axes were used, and such eco habitats that would work in woodland are not really the same in a city street .

[Aunt Maud]

Thats the difference between seeing trees as a crop and trees as an ornament.

 

I much prefer the former and enjoy seeing the effect that cropping from trees has on the rural landscape. It's something that Denmark has forgotten and is poorer for it.

 

Thanks for the photo, they look very knotty indeed.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Aunt Maud

[essential]

certainly add a bit of character to the streets

[David Humphries]

My favourite shot of a (lapsed) beech pollard taken in the basque in 2009

 

There's a couple of additional aspects to consider during this discussion, there are environmental benefits that large canopy trees (as opposed to pollarded trees) provide in the urban forest - these being shade and transpiration. Large canopy trees significantly reduce the heat island effect, and is perhaps why pollarding may be one of the contributing factors that led to many of the near 15,000 lives that perished in French towns and cities during the heat waves of the 2003 Summer.

 

I do however appreciate both the aesthetic and ecological benefits from regularly pollarded trees.

 

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[Darrin Turnbull]

defying gravity picture.

[devon TWiG]

Fantastic picture there Mr Humphries !! I saw some epic Sweet Chestnut pollards in Corsica once most were very ancient indeed .... I love such such specimens ..