Editing Pollarding (section)

{{short description|Technique of severe pruning of trees}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Other uses|Pollard (disambiguation){{!}}Pollard}}
 {{multiple image
| width = 
| direction = vertical
| footer = A line of [[willow]] pollards near [[Sluis]], [[Zeeland]], [[Netherlands]].
| image1 = Newly pollarded near Sluis.JPG
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = Shortly after pollarding
| image2 = Pollarded trees near Sluis two years later April 2009 cropped to match last times more or less.jpg
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = Two years after the pollarding
}}
'''Pollarding''' is a [[pruning]] system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In [[ancient Rome]], [[Propertius]] mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE.<ref name="jr">{{Cite book |last=Richardson, jr |first=L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K_qjo30tjHAC&q=pollarding+trees+ancient+rome&pg=PA318 |title=A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0801843006 |page=318}}</ref> The practice has occurred commonly in Europe since medieval times, and takes place today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a determined height or to place new shoots out of the reach of grazing animals.<ref>''Pruning and Training Plants'', Joyce and Brickell, p. 55, Simon and Schuster, 1992 {{ISBN|0-671-73842-9}}</ref><ref name="DeDecker">{{Cite journal |last=De Decker |first=Kris |date=n.d. |title=How to Make Biomass Energy Sustainable Again |url=https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/09/how-to-make-biomass-energy-sustainable-again.html |journal=Low-Tech Magazine |access-date=27 April 2021}}</ref>

Traditionally, people pollarded trees for one of two reasons: for [[fodder]] to feed [[livestock]] or for [[wood]]. Fodder pollards produced "pollard hay" for livestock feed; they were pruned at intervals of two to six years so their leafy material would be most abundant. Wood pollards were pruned at longer intervals of eight to fifteen years, a pruning cycle tending to produce upright poles favored for fencing and boat construction. Supple young willow or hazel branches may be harvested as material for weaving baskets, fences, and garden constructions such as [[Pergola#Green tunnels|bower]]s. Nowadays, the practice is sometimes used for ornamental trees, such as [[crape myrtle]]s in southern states of the US.<ref name="Oxmoor">[https://books.google.com/books?id=5W14JPhy70oC&q=%22crepe+murder%22  ''Southern Living 2003 garden annual''], p. 111; Oxmoor Publishing, 2003</ref><ref name="Arborist">[https://books.google.com/books?id=gbUsAQAAMAAJ&q=%22crepe+murder%22 ''Tree Care Industry Magazine'', v. 17], p. 38, published 2006 by National Arborist Association</ref>

Pollarding tends to make trees live longer by maintaining them in a partially juvenile state and by reducing the weight and [[windage]] of the top part of the tree.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Read |first=Helen |date=October 2006 |title=A brief review of pollards and pollarding in Europe |url=http://www.maisonbotanique.com/dyn/12acte_2_read.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714022431/http://www.maisonbotanique.com/dyn/12acte_2_read.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-14 |website=Burnham Beeches National Nature Reserve}}</ref> Older pollards often become hollow, so it can be difficult to determine age accurately. Pollards tend to grow slowly, with denser growth-rings in the years immediately after cutting.