Pollarding

Newly pollarded angsana trees along Jalan Penaga in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Photographed in December 2010.

A couple of years ago, a couple of misguided urban tree-huggers, led by a pillock who has probably never climbed a tree in her life, made a huge hue and cry over what they termed as "brutally pruned" angsana trees in Bangsar. What these ignorant clowns didn't know is that such pruning is called pollarding and is a common technique employed by gardeners around the world.

Angsana trees that were pollarded a couple of years ago along Jalan Ara (opposite TMC) in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. At the time they were pollarded, a couple of misguided urban tree-huggers, led by a woman who has probably never climbed a tree in her life, made a huge hue and cry over what they termed as "brutally pruned" trees in Bangsar. Photographed in December 2010.

Pollarding is a pruning system in which the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches. It has been common in Great Britain and Europe since medieval times and is practiced today in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a predetermined height.

One consequence of pollarding is that pollarded trees tend to live longer than unpollarded specimens, because they are maintained in a partially juvenile state, and they do not have the weight and windage of the top part of the tree. Older pollards often become hollow, and so can be difficult to age accurately. Pollards tend to grow slowly, with narrower growth rings in the years immediately after cutting.

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Pollarding
Pollarding
Pollarding
Pollarding

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