Pollarding

[ncrawshaw]

Just a thought; but with the large numbers of deer here in the South East, has anyone considered pollarding as an alternative to coppicing? Perhaps using a chain saw to cut trees five or six feet off the ground would be a deterrent to the practice but the deer certainly wouldn't get a meal! I realise that you can not just start pollarding within a traditional coppice cycle, but many woods around here are severely neglected and overgrown - so what was coppice is now a few hefty trunks. Incidentally, I believe that it is also an exemption from applying for a felling licence.

[Twybill]

The felling licence exemption for pollarding is, I think, the same as for coppicing; that is the multi stems must all be of less diameter than 150mm when measured 1.3 metres from the ground. Larger diameter than this presumably then comes into the 5cu metres allowed to be cut in a calendar quarter without licence.

Pollards multi stems I suppose will be measured from the bolling. Neglected coppice and old pollards then need assessing for cubic volume to be cut.

Deer now are an issue in woodlands all over the country but creating new Oak Pollards is a worthwhile project in itself. Try to start a new pollard on youngish trees with a diameter at six foot high of maybe 4 to 6 inches, although larger trees can be successful. Try and cut above a natural branching fork and don't worry about the height, as long as the deer cannot reach.

Oak Pollards need plenty of light, so start a fair few together to create a clearing. They will add interest to a wood as time goes on and give it character, as well as giving nesting platforms for birds.

[Landpikey]

I didn't quite know where to put this post but after searching for "pollarding" and finding this thread, it's as good a place as any. I was on the SWOG facebook page and came across Matthew Ford/Britton Wood having to put notice's up after people put letters into the local paper complaining about what they were doing to the wood. Further investigation into the letters page has unearthed some beauties from the general public (I was going to use other words to describe them but thought better of it!).

The one that got me mad is this one.....

Published on 08/03/2012 09:30
I WONDER if someone from the council could explain why it is necessary to destroy the once lovely trees we had locally.
The picture is taken on the Monkey Park on Chester Street in Brampton.
They have cut them back so much that we no longer have any greenery in the summer.
They were once a pleasure to see when in the area with an abundance of foliage and now we are left with hideous, ugly trunks for another year.
They have damaged one so bad that on Tuesday they arrived and chopped it down completely.
Is this the intention, to kill them all to save money?
So much for being environmentally friendly!
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

Ignorance apparently isn't bliss after all. He "WONDER"s (even in capitals) but doesn't wonder enough to do some basic background research on why, perhaps, the council have done it. No, he'd rather write a letter instead. I'd love to see an up to date picture as they are this year and what he thinks about them now.
Sorry - had to share this as for some reason the letters page in a paper that is miles from me (I'm Aberdeenshire) annoyed me intensely. I'm off to try and find some members of the general public to slap – sorry educate!