Too much of a 'hair-cut' for trees?

[Oxford patient]

May be it is time of the year, some trees need a 'hair-cut'. Can someone tell me why thses trees need a cut like that?
Cheers,
Oxford patient

[Jason Claxton]

Ah looks like pollarding,like coppicing, but higher up the tree.Jason

[TeresaW]

If these are limes, then I remember as a kid limes were always cut like that, especially the 'tree lined avenues' of suburbia.

In fact, we have limes all along my street, but they haven't been cut in years, and have become overgrown and straggly with weak branches. Obviously during the winter gales, one or two invariable drop off.

[Oxford patient]

Thanks Jason and Teresa. All make so much sense to me .
Cheers,
Oxford patient

[ChrisR]

Yeah that is classic pollarding - done to fast-growing trees, such as willows, plains & limes. In the past wood from trees like that was a valuable crop and this would have been a common sight in the countryside. Nowadays it still happens in towns, where councils want to keep roadside trees under control, and on land being managed for wildlife.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

Nowadays it still happens in towns, where councils want to keep roadside trees under control, and on land being managed for wildlife.

and also to maintain historic landscape features which is why you get it a lot beside the thames as in oxford and also in the fens

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by eeyore

and also to maintain historic landscape features which is why you get it a lot beside the thames as in oxford and also in the fens

Yes, it's nice to see pollarding done well I've seen plenty of old willow pollards falling apart with branches dropping off for lack of trimming by landowners who have forgotten how to manage their land or just don't care any more

That said, the deadwood habitat is very nice too

[Meta menardi]

Think of it as coppicing where grazing animals are. They can't reach the fresh shoots of a pollard. There are some amazing grown out pollards near here (Orchard Fields in Malton) that are now massive trees.

[TeresaW]

It does look harsh, the same as coppicing looks harsh, but those new shoots will be there in the spring, healthy and strong. It's good tree management, which in turn really does benefit wildlife.

If you ever see a freshly coppiced wood, it does look like a scene of utter devastation to begin with, slightly reminiscent of the woods of south east england after the 1987 storms. But within a year, the place is teaming with birds and insects, wildflowers and new growth. It's amazing really.

[Jason Claxton]

Pollarded trees also have a history of being used as a boundary markers as well ,you may find books by Oliver Rackham interesting if you want to research these further.Jason