How would you manage this Veteran

[David Humphries]

...........So a staged program of reductions every 3-5 years with an aim at getting it back to the original boles?

 

Toward the original bole.

 

Lapsed pollards can't ever really be treated as an ongoing young pollard would.

 

The starch reserves in the bole are long gone, so rejuvenation at this point is unlikely.

 

Do you have access to this David Lonsdale book ?

 

http://ancienttreeforum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ATF_book.pdf

 

very good management guidance to be found inside

 

4.5.1 Management of lapsed and restored pollards Page 100

 

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[Mick Dempsey]

Ok, I get it.

I seem to recall on those old old beech pollards in the woods that you were doing you were giving them the lightest of tickles, without the end game of significant reduction.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Mick Dempsey

[Macca]

Thanks David Great advice!

[Joe Newton]

Ok, I get it.

I seem to recall on those old old beech pollards in the woods that you were doing you were giving them the lightest of tickles, without the end game of significant reduction.

 

 

I would have though that was "retrenchment pruning" Mick.

 

As I understand it the endgame wasn't to achieve a significant reduction in height, but to encourage new growth from within the canopy.

 

Might be way off the mark there though.

[sean]

I'd say do the reduction from a mewp if possible as well. Retaining as much growth including epi is paramount and climbing can end up snapping vital new growth off that you'd want to keep.

[Macca]

Unfortunately there is no mewp access. I've always found oak to be pretty tough so hopefully damage of shoots will be kept to a minimum. I will have as much time as needed to reduce this tree so the greatest care will be taken.

I think September will be the best time to prune as oak is a bit late to leaf, any thoughts on this?

[jomoco]

I've noticed that proper pollarding leaves one leafed stem intact until the other pollarded stems have suckered, before it too gets whacked back.

 

Kinda like one pump primer left alone and working until the others are recovered.

 

Jomoco

[bolthole]

Toward the original bole.

 

Lapsed pollards can't ever really be treated as an ongoing young pollard would.

 

The starch reserves in the bole are long gone, so rejuvenation at this point is unlikely.

 

Do you have access to this David Lonsdale book ?

 

http://ancienttreeforum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ATF_book.pdf

 

very good management guidance to be found inside

 

4.5.1 Management of lapsed and restored pollards Page 100

 

.

 

Every day's a school day!

[bolthole]

Repollard would probably kill it.

 

TO's 2m reduction sounds sensible, especially if there are epicormic growths existing along the pollard poles. Perhaps looking to bring it further down toward the top of the boling over a number of phased reductions.

 

Cracking tree, surprising to see it surviving in such an urban situation.

 

Where is it?

 

 

 

.

 

So do you effectively treat it as if the stems growing from the old pollard point were young trees growing out of the ground?

[David Humphries]

Kinda, like a stem that is weakly anchored.

 

 

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