THE POLLARD PRACTITIONER SMALL GUIDEBOOK VERSION FRANÇAISE

The 1st European Symposium on Pollarding took place in the Vendôme agricul- tural high School, France in October 2006 and was organized by the Botanical House of Boursay. The 24 speakers from 8 European countries presented a state of the art of pollarding. Twelve years later, the second Symposium will be held in Sare, Basque Country, and aims to highlight initiatives and actions developed across Europe and the globe. Speakers from 12 different countries will discuss how to pollards “back into action” across farming territories. The ‘pollard practitioner’s small guidebook‘ is geared toward farmers, communities, professionals, private, individuals; those who wish to manage pollarded to meet current needs. The Symposium is comple- mentary to the training courses and field experiences and aims to place pollarding once again in a central role for enhancing sustainable agricul- ture at farm and landscape level.

The organizers : Euskal Herriko Laborantza Gambara, French Association, Arbre et Paysage 32, La Maison Botanique de Boursay

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING 02 ground level a coppicesystem above Pollards quitesimilarto Its only real drawback istheheight Butwe ofthecut. canalso make low pollards! landscape component... The creation ofapollarded tree isinvolving all thesebenefits. petition between pollarded trees andnearby crops, improving biodiversity, , not accessible to thewildanddomesticanimal forconsumption,sustainability, reducing com- This ancestral practice, known forat least3,000 years, hasmany advantages: increased production A young pollarded tree willproduce forcenturies ifproperly managed. tree) withoutcuttingthetrunk. Pollarding isinvolving theremoval oftheupperbranches ofatree (usually adeciduous POLLARDING? WHAT IS harvested hornbeams Pollarded and 03

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING High ration orsowing. planting new seedlings, orthrough natural regene- trees andtall standard trees have tobereplaced by several trunks. Onthecontrary, isolated trees, forest and grow backfrom thestumpwhile making be cutat ground level when harvested () Those trees are notnecessarily pollards. They can coppice, , openenvironment, etc. that isimpacting theirfinal shape:plain forest, Trees are constantly evolving insideanenvironment There isno“natural” tree. A POLLARD! THIS ISNOT TREE MANAGEMENT:

Mature oakandpollarded Clump mapletree 04

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING after abreak Pollarded tree, American red oak Emergence ofdormant buds,

The release ofdormant budsfrom dormancy

where atornadooccurred, walnut tree. jured areas andreinforces theweakened structure. callus tissuethat formsinto coves thein- woody materials oftheplant. At thesametime, Thanks todormant buds, they rebuild damaged after beingcutorbroken andcontinue tothrive. ved theincredible ability toregenerate themselves Through timetrees (mainly deciduous) have evol under pressure: physical, climatic, animal, etc. Even before humans , trees have constantly been

A TECHNIQUE INSPIRED BY NATURE Emergence ofdormant buds, American red oak 05 -

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING pleaching techniques Joined pollarded trees using Open-center face, pollarded trees, pleached trees... pruning oropen-center pruning,“Zen” shape,cat topiary ofhornbeams, isolated tree, “goblet” take many forms, suchashornbeam:coppiceclump, the trees andnatural events, thesamespeciescan ventions indomesticareas. Dependingontheuseof soil, vegetation, location, etc.)and man-driven inter Trees are conditionedby theenvironment (climate, DECIDUOUS TREES PLASTICITY OF THE ASTONISHING - - Pollarded hornbeam Multiple catfaces 06

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING © A. CANET TREES GEOMETRY HARVESTING TREES, VARIABLE THE POLLARDED Hedge ofpollarded trees, Brittany

multi-headed pollards. in Sologne, orthemany examples ofsimple or in Brittany through thehorizontal pleached tree and tree production; from thehighpollarded tree and ofthemeetingbetween farmmanagement plasticity. Every shapeistheresult ofthehistory mers managing thetrees andcapitalizing ontheir see awidevariety ofshapesthat result from far trees. Pollards are productive andmulti-purpose Pollarded oakshape (outlines created from existing trees) With theoak,forexample, it’s possible to Curved pollarded oak,Basque Country, Spain Simple pollarded tree 07 -

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Poitevin marshlands Pastured grassland andpollarded ash trees. THE NEEDS CONTEXT ANDTO ADAPTATION TOTHE LANDSCAPE &POLLARDS:

USEFUL. NECESSARY AND IMPLEMENTED IF TREES SHOULDBE STANDS. POLLARDED TO OTHER TREE COMPLEMENTARY TREES ARE POLLARDED 08

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Pollarded trees underwildcherry, roadside inSarthe Understory pollarded oaks stands). densities systems (tree inrows andforest pollarded trees canbemanaged inhigh all situations ifregularly harvested. Young Young trees canbepollarded andadaptedto lated, aligned, forest), avariety ofspecies... height, various spatial organizations (iso- Pollarded trees: varied shapes, adaptable Pollarded limetree ina vegetable garden 09

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING wood, bundles Woodfuel, CHIPPED WOOD (ENERGY, LITTER,MULCH, AMENDMENT),FODDER, FRUITS… RAFTERS, JOIST, BINDING BEAM,LOGS, ,CHARCOAL WOOD, BRANCHES AREUSED FOR BASKETRY, CUTTINGS,GRAFTS, POLES, STAKES, AND TOMORROW YESTERDAY, TODAY PRODUCTS POLLLARDS’ nal resistance. breakwater forshipsinBrittany andNormandy duetoitsexceptio- The knottedtrunkofpollarded trees was used forbindingbeamand produce fruitsaswell aswood fuel andwood forturningfactory. wood fuelandtimber(cabinetmaking, etc.). The pollarded olive trees construction. The ashtree renowned forfodderisproducing agood Country produced acornsforpigs andcurved wood forthenavy poles, stakes, fruits, wood fuel… The pollarded trees from the Basque producing various products dependingonthepruningcycle: grafts, to crack andisusedforhammers andlogs. The chestnut tree is wood fuelissought-after forfirewood stacks;thewood ishard cuttings oraliving cabin. The hornbeamproducing aninteresting The osierisprunedevery year forbasket makingandoffers plaiting over timelike theshapeofpollarded tree. the tree aswell asthepruningcycles. The products can evolve Products willchange according tothevariety andtheshapeof Pollarded chestnut tree,

stakes, poles… 10

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING © S. MONIER Litter forcattle Riverside pollarded tree THE WOOD INDUSTRY. AND MEETS MANYREQUIREMENTS OF TRANSFORMATION REDUCES HANDLING AND DIAMETERS OFWOOD. THIS MAKES ITPOSSIBLE TO USE ALLTYPES TODAY, GRINDINGTECHNOLOGY the commonuses Chipped wood,logs; Sheep andfodderfrom a pollarded ash tree 11

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING BEFORE PRUNING modified over time. branches are pollarded. Theformcan be pollard willhave several headsifthescaffold The average diameteris5to10 cm. The upper partandthebranches along thetrunk. The nursery. to plant atree that was pollarded ina andpoplars. It isalso possible planting orby cutting,especially with naturaltree from stemsprout, seedlings, A pollard can becreated onanexisting POLLARDS SHAPING young tree ispollarded by cuttingthe

PRUNING 5 MONTHSLATER country canbeeasily pollarded… dered. As anexample, plane tree, ashtree and depends primarily onthespeciestobeconsi- sprouts. The tree’s response topollarding during thefirst year duetofragile young be more sensitive todryingoutandsunburn diameter willbelessactive andthetree will The dormant buds onanold tree withalarge 11 MONTHSLATER ash trees Pollard onbig 12

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING © D. DELLAS by handbefore becomingwoody. theyspring shoot, caneasily beremoved activated onthe whole trunk. After the The first year thedormant budsare often reinforce thebase. quent pruningcycles onayoung pollard to It isrecommended tocarryoutmore fre- ensure agood recovery. and let1/3ofthewhip onthesurfaceto by bar. Plant 2/3ofthewhip intheground a stake. A preliminary hole shouldbemade sprout (whip) straight enoughtoram itlike willows andpoplars. It isenoughtocuta This isthemostcommonmethodfor PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS Pollarding tree evolution inavineyard regrowth onyoungpollarded grey 3 management ofwillow cuttings 13

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING 3 1 TO POLLARDS PRODUCTS WOODFUEL, FRUITS TO THE POLLARDED TREE. LIKE THESHAPEOF EVOLVE OVER TIME THE PRODUCTS CAN 10 YEARS FODDER, POLES, FODDER, POLES, CYCLES PRUNING STICKS, LOGS, STICKS, LOGS, 3 YEARS BASKETRY, and multi-productions CUTTINGS wood, litter, woodfuel, etc. FODDER, FODDER, During thetree lifetime: Small footprint

affect pollards. pruning cycles (every year) canbadly the pollards. On theopposite,short does notguarantee thereiteration of cycles, keeping oneortwo sap-drawer pruning operation. After longpruning gerous forthepracticioner during affecting thereiteration anddan- allow optimum production, badly (logs). This management does not branches beingusedasfuelwood only onceevery 50years, theirbigger Sometimes, pollards are harvested carpentry, etc. also beusedfor:woodturning, thetrunkcan landscape impact, conditions forthebiological and Under sustainable/respectful TRUNK FOCUS WOODFUEL WOODWORK, 25 YEARS UNTIL 14

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING species. otherwise riskbreakage and15to25years forother years forsoftwood species(willow…) which would The duration ofcycles shouldnotexceed 8-10 of thetrees. An adaptedpruningcycle willensure thelongevity treatments andrisks. larded biomassandmechanization limitsmanual Grinding makes itpossible tousetheentire pol and uses, cycles ranged from about1to15years. silkworms. It isestimated that,dependingonspecies more oftensuchaswhite mulberry trees tobetterfeed to maximizethefoliage. Someofthemare pruned Pollarded trees (forfodder) are prunedevery 3-5 years recorded inthelease) forlogs, , charcoal... or by axe were harvested every 7to9years (a period The pollarded trees traditionally prunedby billhook with aproductive heritage. ries. Rediscovering pollarding isrenewing first The pollarded tree production can lastforcentu- Broken unpruned pollarded willow - and vine, Ardèche and Pollarded white mulberry, A sap-drawer onpollard does not guarantee thereiteration 15

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Weak willow cutindecember harmful ordesirable? period. Are theserepetitive practices larded plane trees duringthesummer are pruningpollarded limetrees orpol Besidesthat,communities this subject. pollarded trees, we lack information on period formostofthespecies. Regarding to harvest during descendingmoon attentive tothelunarphases, choosing runs (hornbeam...). The Ancients were at theendofwinter cantrigger sap like theharvest forfodder. Lumbering some ofthemare madeduringsummer ring winter (vegetative rest). However, Pollarded trees are usually harvested du- Pollarded trees inahedgeduringwinter, Sarthe PRUNING SEASON Summer pruningof a fodderash tree 16 -

© AM. PIAULET 2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING applied tothenotches. protections isworn. No masticorotherprotective material are of course possible, only ifprecautions are taken andproper The useofmotorizedequipment (tree pruner, chainsaw) is ladder. An axe canalso beusedifitishandledproperly. handle tools are usefulforworks-at-height withoutusinga Japanese handsaw, billhook,pruningshears-lopper. Extended The equipment neededissimple andcheap:pruningsaw or PRECAUTIONS METHOD AND OPERATIONS EQUIPMENT FOR CUT #2 CUT #1

Pollard by handsaw POLLARD’S HEAD. DAMAGE THEYOUNG FINAL SECTION TO NOT FIRST, CUTABOVE THE 17

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Pollard by lopper ding, pollarded oak Pollarding work andshred required protections, proper use andmaintenance. and machines. Besure toread andunderstand the Always have aplan before usingdangerous tools small tree pruner. Pollards canbemanaged from theground orwitha Protection isalways required. recommended towork onwindy, rainy orsnowy days. diameters. These tools must beusedcarefully; itisnot Chainsaw andtree prunerare usefultocutwide - American red oak Bottom-up pollarding work by pruner, of apollarded ash tree Climbingpollarding work onthehead MANAGE THESE TREES. AND WANT TO KNOW HOW TO INTERESTED INPOLLARDS CERTIFIED ARE TODAY, MOREAND 18

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING agricultural equipment) Shredding inCUMA (Cooperative useof pollards. not all adapted tothethickcrown ofthe many models are onthemarket; they are chines. Developed forforest operations, lated armsand tracked orpneumatic ma- with cuttingshears mounted onarticu- zation ofpruning by acompany equipped One practice isdeveloping: themechani- sizeable tolimitcosts. ment that compactsthesoil. The operation sitemust be manually. The cuttingshearismounted onheavy equip- mage thepollard. It isusually necessarytocutthesnags DISADVANTAGES: thecuttingshears caneasily da - together toreduce costs. The harvest operation ofagroup ofpollards canbedone ordered inwood racks (useful forshredding forexample). greater heights are avoided andthewood products are ADVANTAGES: therisksassociated withworking at EQUIPMENT HEAVY

hydraulic clamp Creation ofwoodracks usinga and certifiedarborists. to speakwithqualified companies selecting pollarding tools. Besure the equipment anditscostwhen Itport it. isimportant toconsider handle wood, crush itandtrans- Heavy equipment isavailable to HEAVY EQUIPMENT 19

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Woundwood onpollarded limetree builds anew one! mechanical strength ofthe trunk andeven then longitudinal woundwood reinforces the If thetree is in good soilandlight conditions, the trunkiscompletely hollowed out. With timeandsuccessive pruningcycles, ties are important forbiodiversity. not completely cover the“wound”; thesecavi- tree. It doesn’t matter ifthiswoundwood does and thefunctioningofheadpollarded forms homogeneously andensure thesolidity When thecutsare madecorrectly, woundwood WOUNDWOODS AND WELCOME GENEROUS hornbeam Woundwoods onpollarded New trunk,pollarded oak 20

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING lying ontheground Dead pollarded tree tree andrestoring ittothesoil. invertebrates...) degrading thepollarded different organisms (mushrooms, bacteria, “biodiversity function” by welcoming many one day; hencelying down, itpursues its Like every tree, thepollarded tree willdie normal lifeexpectancy. examples ofpollarded trees exceeding their sitive toclimatic accidents. There are many needs ofthetree while makingitlesssen- has astimulating effect andrebalances the a thousandyears old. Regular pruning The oldest pollarded trees are well over PART OFOURHERITAGE. AS REMARKABLETREES ANDARE MANY POLLARDED ARECLASSIFIED LONGEVITY POLLARDS’ Spain Very oldpollarded beech tree. willow.Spain. Aragon, Very oldpollarded while ash tree, bocage.Deux-se Very bigandagedpollarded vres 21

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING OF POLLARDS RESTAURATION & RESTAURATION MANAGEMENT

FOR YEARS? TREES THAT HAVE BEENUNPRUNED WHAT TO POLLARDED DOWITH fied fortrees beingpartofourheritage. . This step-by-step intervention isjusti- gradually reduce thecrown by calling acertified If interventions must take place, therule isto grow normally. intervening, itisbesttoletthepollarded tree crown development, economicneed...) justifies If noreason (risk ofbreakage, obstructing This pollard benefitsfrom acrown reduction carried outby acertifiedarborist

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2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING PHOTOS © Y. GABORY 3 years later pollarded oak Crown reduction ofanold chêne Réduction vieilletrogne de or completely ifstrong sprouts appeared. ter). Few years afteraregrowth, recut thesap-drawers lower head (of alength equivalent to5-6timestheirbasicdiame- Another solution: keep shortenedsap-drawers onthe whole many pollarded trees. On theotherhand,itscostistoohighforafarmerowning pedunculate oak,Poitou an olddeadpollarded After areduction, 1 yearlater

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2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING this isnotapollarded tree Drastic pruningonlimetree; POLLARDING? PRUNING BECALLED CAN DRASTIC

to adrastic pruning Pubescent oakcondemned is mature! red when itsyoung, notonceit ment ofatree must beconside- the development andmanage- These situations remind usthat more radical solution! preferable toitsremoval, aneven which allows thetree tolive, is This lessexpensive practice, like pollarded trees. Then, thetrees must bepruned crown (limetree, plane…). tolerate adrastic reduction ofthe grow continuously. Somespecies low-up because thetree will This solution involves afol cut: theseare notpollards! We can seemany trees harshly - 24

2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING Shelter forcattle pollarded limetrees Priceless forthecommunity, business. who want toputthetree backinto their valuable forfarmers andmarket gardeners tion aswell asthebiodiversity itprotects, are larded tree, itscyclical andaccessible produc and welcoming living environment. The pol the landscapesandenhanceproductive and theirspecificmanagement characterize pheric carbon. The diversity ofpollarded trees The trunkandtheroots are apool ofatmos- soil andimprove water infiltration andquality. ground structure contribute tothelifeof pool. The longevity ofthetrunkanditsunder remarkable andprecious animal andvegetable trunk withitsevolution cavities sheltera The crown renewed cyclically andtheaging - - - pollarded oaktree Overview ofbiodiversity, THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT.THE LIVING STORAGE, LANDSCAPES ANDTO BIODIVERSITY, SOIL LIFE,CARBON CONSIDERABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE POLLARDED TREES MAKEA AND ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTION, IN ADDITIONTO REGULAR THE WEALTH OF POLLARDS

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2nd EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON POLLARDING © EHLG

Texts: Dominique Mansion, with the assistance of the Symposium organizers Conception graphique et réalisation : Maxime Lanusse | V90073B (Pen ar bed) for Euskal Herriko Laborantza Ganbara, 2018 Editing: Imprimerie Arizmendi - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - RCS B 410 647 986 All pictures: Dominique Mansion except mention © the autors of pictures © les auteurs pour les textes et les photos © Euskal Herriko Laborantza Ganbara and the autors ASSOCIATION FRANÇAISE D’AGROFORESTERIE 93, route de Pessan - 32 000 AUCH [email protected] tél (coordination) / +33 (0) 6 20 06 23 14 AGROFORESTERIE.FR

EUSKAL HERRIKO LABORANTZA GANBARA Zuentzat 64 220 Ainhice Mongelos [email protected] tél / +33 (0) 5.59.37.18.82 EHLGBAI.ORG

ARBRE ET PAYSAGE 32 93, route de Pessan - 32 000 AUCH [email protected] tél / +33 (0) 5 62 60 12 69 AP32.FR

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