GET QUOTESTree Pollarding: Control Growth, Shape the Tree, and Encourage Healthy Branching
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Edited by Ali Lijee Edited by Ali LijeeTreeMend connects you with tree surgeons in the UK who provide professional tree pollarding and many other tree care services.
The ancient practice of tree pollarding was once necessary for securing a steady supply of timber, but it’s now mostly reserved for controlling the growth of young trees in urban areas. A walk along many of London’s tree-lined streets or through its historic parks is one way to see pollarded trees for yourself, and pollarding is the key to managing their growth carefully.
Table of contents
- What is tree pollarding?
- Why is tree pollarding needed?
- How trees are pollarded
- Suitable tree species for pollarding
- Tree pollarding vs tree coppicing
- Professional tree pollarding vs DIY: how to decide
- How to get tree pollarding near you
- Tree pollarding in the UK: frequently asked questions
- Get a tree pollarding quote today
What is tree pollarding?
Tree pollarding is a form of tree pruning which involves the selective removal of the upper parts of a tree’s crown. The purpose of tree pollarding is, in modern times, to control and manage the growth of trees, particularly in urban settings.
By removing large sections of the crown in a controlled manner, the branches are brought back to what is called a pollard head. The tree appears barren after pollarding. The result is the rapid and vigorous growth of knobs or ‘knuckles’ at the pollard point, which subsequently grow into new branches spreading outwards and giving pollarded trees a unique (and often appealing) aesthetic. Pollarding also results in delayed or stunted growth of the root system, which can be beneficial for controlling the size and shape of a tree both above and below ground.
Pollarding is best performed on young trees, and many species are not suitable for topping at all. It’s typically performed in the dormant winter months.
Pollarding vs tree topping: what’s the difference?
To the untrained eye, tree pollarding might look like tree topping. In both cases, quite large parts of the upper crown of a tree are removed. There are several key differences, however.
Topping refers to reckless cuts made without consideration of the tree’s health, which is why it is no longer practised. When a tree is topped, its emergency survival response kicks in and it rapidly begins to grow shoots (watersprouts) from the remaining trunk and large branches. These watersprouts are brittle and weak, and often grow erratically and make the tree often much taller than it was beforehand, defeating the purpose of tree topping altogether.
Pollarding, on the other hand, uses selective pruning cuts - even if bigger than with other forms of crown reduction - to produce regrowth that is not the same as watersprouts. The regrowth should be much firmer and boost the health of the tree, as it does not negatively affect the tree’s natural structural stability.
A brief history of tree pollarding
Pollarding dates back to at least antiquity, where it was recorded in the 1st century BC in ancient Rome as a common practice. It was widely practised in mediaeval England, typically for the seasonal production of timber for charcoal burning, as firewood, feed for livestock, or collected as faggots for basketry or fencing materials. These applications have been rendered largely redundant today with mass manufacturing and plastics, but it is still widely practised in urban areas for different reasons, e.g. managing the growth of urban trees.
The word poll, from which pollard derives, is itself fairly interesting. Its best translation today is scalp, or the top of a head, and it likely came from the obverse side of an old mediaeval silver penny called a rosary. The head on the obverse side of the coin was uncrowned; thus, the term poll refers to the head without a crown. In arboriculture, a tree’s ‘bald’ branches are without a ‘crown’ of foliage or small branches.
Why is tree pollarding needed?
Tree pollarding may be needed for trees for a few different reasons, such as:
- Management of tree size and shape: growth and overall size and shape of one or more trees often need to be carefully managed, especially in urban environments or in confined spaces.
- Safety: some trees may pose safety hazards to people and property underneath, so pollarding may be ideal for mitigating risks such as falling branches.
- Improved clearance: in urban settings, trees often need to be pollarded to reduce interference with overhead utility lines, adjacent buildings and property, or to limit overhang onto roads, for example.
Benefits of tree pollarding
Some of the key benefits of tree pollarding include:
- Improved tree health: pollarded trees may be healthier than if left to grow naturally, especially if the tree’s species is prone to pests and diseases. Moreover, pollarded trees may
- Controlled growth: it’s much easier to control the growth of young trees with pollarding.
- Shade: in dense urban areas or gardens, pollarded trees may let in more sunlight which can be ideal for other vegetation.
- Aesthetics: while subjective, many appreciate the unique look of pollarded trees and they’re quite characteristic of London and many of our other major cities’ neighbourhoods and thoroughfares.
Trees are commonly pollarded in urban environments for health, safety, and controlled growth
How trees are pollarded
Trees are generally pollarded during the dormant season (typically winter), and it’s best performed on young trees as they tend to be much better at dealing with the shock of hard pruning than mature trees.
The process of tree pollarding is essentially hard pruning of the tree crown. From around 2m up the trunk, a qualified tree surgeon makes clean, sharp pruning cuts to the central leader and lateral branches. Around 3-5 main branches coming from the trunk are all that should remain.
When performed during the dormant season, the tree should begin to regrow vigorously during the coming growth season (typically spring). The first shoots may be weak branches, but over many years, they will strengthen and begin to create thickened, swollen pollard heads.
Once a tree has been pollarded, the process must be repeated every 2 years (more or less, depending on the species and regrowth). Tree surgeons will revisit the tree and continue pollarding it, making new cuts just above the previous session’s cuts. Do not neglect continuous pollarding sessions; overgrowth can set in, and overcrowded pollarded trees may be much more expensive to restore than those which are routinely pollarded every few years.
Pollarding is an ongoing, routine process which gradually controls the growth of the tree’s crown
Suitable tree species for pollarding
Young trees may be ideal for pollarding, so long as they respond well to it and it’s performed during the dormant season by a qualified tree surgeon or arborist near you. Mature trees should never be pollarded because they may die from it at worst, or fail to recover properly during subsequent growth seasons.
Generally, common deciduous broadleaf species in the UK tend to tolerate pollarding well, and only a handful of evergreen species do (namely yew).
Suitable tree species for pollarding
Which tree species can be pollarded? While not exhaustive, the list below contains many popular tree species that tend to respond well to pollarding:
| Type | Species (common name) | Species (Latin name) |
| Deciduous | Ash | Fraxinus |
| Beech | Fagus sylvatica | |
| Chestnut | Castanea sativa | |
| Common Lime | Tilia x europaea | |
| Elder | Sambucus | |
| Elm | Ulmus | |
| Gum | Eucalyptus | |
| Hornbeam | Carpinus betulus | |
| London Plane | Platanus x acerifolia / x hispanica | |
| Maple | Acer negundo | |
| Mulberry | Morus | |
| Oak | Quercus | |
| Tulip | Liriodendron tulipifera | |
| Willow | Salix | |
| Evergreen | Bay Laurel | Laurus nobilis |
| Holly | Ilex | |
| Yew | Taxus baccata |
Many common deciduous and a few evergreen tree species can tolerate pollarding
Tree pollarding vs tree coppicing
Tree coppicing is a pruning method quite similar to tree pollarding. Both are ancient and have long been used to generate a consistent supply of firewood, and both use a similar concept.
Unlike pollarding, which leaves the trunk and a few branches remaining on the tree, coppicing involves reducing the tree to a stump. The stump, referred to as a stool in coppicing, will produce shoots much like how the knuckles on a pollarded tree will produce shoots.
Pollarding was historically preferred to coppicing in areas where livestock would graze on the shoots, since pollarding tends to be higher up on the crown and out of reach of their hungry mouths.
In modern times, pollarding is now mostly done in urban areas to control tree growth; coppicing isn’t generally done on urban trees at all and is still sometimes done for its traditional purposes.
Tree coppicing and pollarding are both similar methods of hard pruning
Professional tree pollarding vs DIY: how to decide
Tree pollarding is a form of hard pruning that isn’t easy to DIY. Prune a little too much and you’re basically topping the tree and causing many more issues than you started out with. Prune too little and you might not end up with the desired tree crown and its famous pollard head.
There are many small fruit trees that may be fine to prune yourself, but pollarding a fruit tree or any other species, for that matter, is a lot more complex. You’ll usually need to climb up into the crown and use dangerous tools at heights, know specifically where to prune and what size of pruning is acceptable for the tree to bear, and be able to repeat the process every few years.
In summary, pollarding is certainly not an ideal DIY project and it’s a task best left to qualified tree surgeons and arborists in the UK. Professional tree surgeons can pollard a single tree or maintain an entire boulevard of trees on public roads, for example, using the correct techniques, the right tools for the job, and ensuring that the tree(s) remain healthy.
Pollarding is not an ideal DIY job and should be left to professional tree surgeons and arborists
How to get tree pollarding near you
Whether you have a new tree in a small garden that needs careful management or you are with the local council and require entire rows of trees to be managed on public roads, pollarding can be one of the most effective ways to care for your trees.
Many tree surgeons and arborists in the UK provide tree pollarding services, including follow-up pollarding in subsequent years to ensure your trees grow and develop as intended.
TreeMend makes it quick and easy to connect with qualified tree surgeons and arborists at the best prices.
Use TreeMend to contact a local tree surgeon or arborist for pollarding and more.
Tree pollarding in the UK: frequently asked questions
Is pollarding good for a tree?
Pollarding can be good for a tree as it can keep it healthy, safe to walk underneath as there tend to be fewer falling branches, and structurally stable. As with all pruning - and especially hard pruning methods like pollarding - there is some stress created as the pruning cuts leave wounds which must heal. Professional pollarding with proper techniques can be good for a tree, whereas improper techniques like lopping will harm the tree or even kill it.
What are the disadvantages of pollarding?
Some of the disadvantages of pollarding may include increased stress on the tree, and in the case of pollarding performed incorrectly, wounds that cannot properly heal, increased susceptibility to pests and diseases, and brittle watersprouts shooting from the ends rather than firm new healthy growth.
When should you pollard trees?
Generally, the best time to pollard a tree in the UK is during the late winter or early spring months, when the tree is dormant and before the regrowth season. Certain species like evergreens may have different optimal pollarding seasons, and specific broadleaf species like Acer (e.g. Maple) should not be pruned in spring because that is when they could bleed out sap.
Do trees grow back after pollarding?
Yes. When performed correctly, pollarding will encourage robust and vigorous growth during the coming regrowth season. At first, weak shoots will form from under the bark at the pollard head, and over time more shoots will form and the tree will thicken at these points and make the shoots firm and strong.
How to correctly pollard a tree?
The correct method of pollarding a tree is to do so when the tree is young, make sure that it’s a species that’s tolerant to pollarding, and to do so in the correct season, i.e. late winter or early spring for most deciduous species.
What is an alternative to pollarding?
The pruning method most similar to pollarding is tree coppicing. The end result for both is similar in that a new, ‘bushy’ regrowth of branches will emerge from the pruned ends. Coppicing involves reducing the tree to a stump, and all new regrowth comes from that stool at ground level. Pollarding leaves the trunk mostly intact so that the crown will regrow from the pollard heads left at the pruning points.
What is the difference between pollarding and topping a tree?
Pollarding is the selective hard pruning of a tree so that new regrowth can come through, become strong, and to manage the growth of the tree in its early years. Topping, on the other hand, is a heavy-handed method of removing entire portions of the tree’s upper crown and trunk. Topping produces new regrowth known as watersprouts which are weak and brittle, as opposed to the firm and stable regrowth formed when a tree is pollarded.
Do I need permission to pollard a tree?
In the UK you normally do not require permission to pollard a tree if it is located in your private garden. Many trees, however, are protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) or are located within Conservation Areas. Consult your local planning authority or contact a tree surgeon near you to determine the protection status of a tree.
Can you pollard an older tree?
Yes, older trees can sometimes be pollarded, although this is generally not recommended. Pollarding works best on some species of younger trees because they tend to be able to respond to the heavy pruning quite well. Mature trees do not have the same success rate and may not respond well to pollarding.
Do pollarded trees live longer?
Pollarded trees may indeed live longer than those permitted to grow naturally. The constant, routine process of pollarding a tree in its early years can leave it in somewhat of a perpetual ‘juvenile’ state and, in some cases, living considerably longer. Some coppiced trees in the UK have been known to live for over two thousand years.
Get a tree pollarding quote today
Do you need to manage the growth of one or more young trees on your property, in a park, or in a public space? Find a tree surgeon or arborist through TreeMend. Our network consists of hundreds of qualified local tree surgeons and arborists who provide competitively priced tree care services, such as tree pollarding.