Tree Pollarding In London
London Tree Surgeons has NPTC-qualified tree pollarding specialists ready to provide insured tree pollarding in London.
With multiple teams of highly trained arborists, we can safely pollard London trees, provided they’re suitable for the procedure.
We offer a safe, BS3998-compliant tree pollarding service throughout London, and cater to both commercial and domestic customers.
Tree pollarding requires specialised knowledge to ensure its ongoing safety and health, as incorrect pollarding can destabilise or kill a tree.
At London Tree Surgeons, we have a £10 million public liability insurance policy that covers all our London tree pollarding operations.
Our well-established London tree company has earned many accreditations, including CHAS, SIPP, and ConstructionLine approval.
We are committed to total customer satisfaction and take pride in achieving hundreds of five-star reviews across various platforms.
What is tree pollarding?
Tree pollarding is a pruning technique that removes the upper branches of a tree.
Why pollard trees?
People pollard trees to manage their size and shape, especially in urban areas like London, to prevent property damage, infrastructure obstructions, and safety risks.
Our Tree Pollarding Service In London
When pollarding trees in London, safety and the ongoing health of your trees always come first. Not all trees are suitable for pollarding, so our experienced tree surveyors will carefully assess each tree before recommending this extreme pruning practice. The suitability of pollarding your London tree will depend on its species, age, and condition. If we deem your tree suitable for a pollard, our skilled arborists will perform the work with the utmost care and attention. We regularly pollard street trees in London for local councils and highway agencies, so we always follow health and safety guidelines and use traffic management when necessary. Once a tree has been pollarded, it must be re-pollarded every 1 to 3 years, but the exact frequency depends on the species and growth rate. Re-pollarding is necessary because the unions formed by regrowth tend to be weak, increasing the risk of structural failure. We are happy to schedule a re-pollarding service to ensure the safety and maintenance of your pollarded tree. Please feel free to discuss this with us at your convenience.
What are the benefits of pollarding trees in London?
Pollarding offers numerous advantages for trees, especially street trees, across London.
Maintaining Tree Health
Regular pollarding encourages fresh, healthy growth and stops a tree from becoming too large or vulnerable to disease.
Reducing Risks
By cutting back branches, we reduce the risk of weak or heavy limbs falling and causing property damage or endangering people.
Protecting Infrastructure
In London, pollarding helps prevent trees from damaging power lines, phone cables, streetlights, and other essential services.
Improving Appearance
Many people choose pollarding for its visual effect; it gives certain species a neat, rounded silhouette that suits urban streets and gardens.
Letting in More Light
Because pollarding significantly reduces the canopy, more sunlight can reach the ground and nearby spaces.
When should pollarding be done in the UK?
Late winter into early spring is usually the ideal time to pollard, as the tree is dormant and responds well to reshaping. That said, if a situation calls for it, we can carry out the work at other times of the year, depending on the tree and the job’s purpose.
Which tree species respond well to pollarding?
Several species commonly found in London cope well with regular pollarding and regrow strongly afterwards. These include:
- Ash
- Common lime
- Eucalyptus
- London plane
- Poplar
- Willow
- Some oak varieties
Their regenerative capacity makes them good candidates for this type of management.
Tree Pollarding FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How much does it cost to pollard a tree in the UK?
The cost to pollard a tree in the UK typically ranges from £200 to over £2,500, with smaller trees costing roughly £200-£600 and larger ones potentially costing £1,500 or more. Factors like tree size, species, and accessibility, as well as regional price differences, affect the final cost of pollarding a tree. Some tree contractors may charge more if you ask them to obtain permission to pollard protected trees on your behalf.
When to pollard London plane trees?
It’s best to pollard London plane trees in the UK from January to March, when they are dormant. This time is the best because the low sap level minimises stress and bleeding, and the dormant state reduces the risk of fungal infections and frost damage.
What trees should not be pollarded UK?
In the UK, certain trees should not be pollarded. These include most conifers, except for yew, as well as trees that have weak wood or do not regenerate well after heavy pruning, such as oak, beech, cherry, and birch. Pollarding these species can lead to decline or disease, and may result in their wood becoming weak and dangerous.
When to pollard trees in the UK?
In the UK, the best time to pollard trees is during the dormant season, from January to March, to minimise stress and the risk of disease.
For more information about tree pollarding in London, or to arrange a free quotation, contact us today.
London Tree Surgeons’ Guide On How To Pollard Trees
While we recommend you leave tree pollarding, especially bigger trees, to the professionals, like us, we’ve put together a helpful guide on how to pollard trees.
Pollarding young trees
You can start pollarding once a young tree or shrub reaches the height you want. At this stage, you create the basic framework you’ll work with:
- For shrubs, this might mean cutting a single stem to about a metre high. From that point, a cluster of new shoots will grow.
- With young trees, the usual approach is to leave the main trunk and keep three to five primary branches. Shorten these branches to the chosen length, and new growth develops from their ends.
At first, the fresh shoots are not strongly anchored because they grow from just beneath the bark rather than deeper within the wood. As the tree adds new growth rings each year, the connection strengthens and gradually forms a thick, rounded base, often called a “pollard head”, where new shoots sprout annually.
Maintaining previously pollarded trees
Once a tree or shrub has been pollarded, it needs regular attention. The usual routine is to cut back the new growth every year:
- Trim new branches just above the old pollarding points.
- If you want to keep some leaf cover or soften the tree’s look, you can leave a few branches in place or cut them back to a suitable side branch.
Rejuvenating an overgrown previously pollarded tree
If a pollarded tree has been left too long, it may need more involved work.
To bring an overgrown pollard back into shape, you can:
- Remove weak, spindly, or poorly attached growth.
- Thin out or shorten the branches to re-establish a clear structure that resembles the original framework.
- In some species, like London plane trees, you can remove all the growth that has sprouted from the old pollard points.
- Others, such as horse chestnut, respond better when you cut higher up the tree, creating a new set of pollard heads rather than exposing older, thicker wood.
- Certain trees, including hornbeam and ash, benefit from keeping some of the existing branches. Some oaks, like English and sessile oak, also prefer retaining more of their main limbs.
After any major pruning such as pollarding, it’s essential to keep an eye on the tree and carry out follow-up maintenance as needed.
