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25 Feb 2004 - 31 Dec 2004 Old Techniques in place of new Richmond Park Pollarding, a technique to manage trees dating back to medieval times, is now being reintroduced in Richmond Park. This fairly simple process means cutting off the upper branches of the trees (around three metres above ground level) at regular intervals. The Royal Parks believes that this method can help ensure the long term health of trees such as oaks. In previous centuries pollarding was carried out to ensure a regular supply of timber but it seems to have increased the life expectancy of the trees as well. Many of the most ancient oaks in the UK were pollarded in past. Pollarding encourages the development of new growth and keeps the tree vigorous. As the pollarding takes place at least 3 metres above the ground, the new growth is out of reach of the local deer and can't be eaten. Jane Braham, the Assistant Park Manger at Richmond Park, and one of the supervisors of this project said, 'We hope that this technique will allow for more and stronger veteran oaks in a few hundred years from now. It's a very long term plan of course but this timeframe is appropriate for a place like Richmond Park. More immediate outcomes will include a sustainable source of timber, for park's fencing posts and construction, using the wood taken from the branches cut from the trees.' A total of 100 trees are in the pollarding trial, all around 15-20 years old. The Royal Parks decided to use pairs of trees in the testing; one that is being pollarded and another, as similar as possible, that will be a 'control', managed as normal so that its growth and health can be used as a comparison. The trees have initially been cut back by about thirty percent. Depending on how the trees respond, the length pollarded should increase over time. The process of pollarding began last year but now is the first time that the results can be measured. Park Warden Damien Black and volunteer Keith Bartle, with the assistance of a group from the British Trust for Conservation, have taken many precise measurements of the new growth. Even though they are working with small measurements, data taken in millimetres, the results are beginning to show exceptional outcomes. The 50 trees that were pollarded last year show new shoot growth that is longer and thicker. Though seemingly minor, especially when compared to the actual size of the trees themselves, this is in fact a very positive sign for the future. In the normal growth pattern of an oak tree it takes about several hundred years to reach full maturity. Then the tree begins to die back and eventually the topmost limbs and branches begin to split. Though this is a long and drawn out process which can result in a natural 'pollard' it can also result in irrecoverable damage to the tree. Pollarding helps to control this natural process for the benefit of the tree and the Park. Looking at the oaks in the Park you can see both pollards and non-pollards quite easily. The pollard is short (for a tree), with a very wide trunk and its branches growing out from same level. Non-pollards are taller and thinner, with a long leader branch going upwards and a sequence of other branches growing at different levels on the trunk. - ENDS - Source: The Royal Parks The Royal Parks Press Office, T: 0207 298 2128 E: press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: Richmond Park is believed to contain more veteran trees than Germany and France combined. Richmond Park is London's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve, a candidate European Special Area of Conservation and a Grade 1 Listed landscape. Species records for the Park include 49 grasses, rush and sedges; over 250 fungi; more than 1000 beetles; 546 butterflies and moths; 139 spiders; 144 birds; and 25 mammals. Millions of Londoners and tourists visit the eight Royal Parks for free each year. The 5,000 acres of carefully conserved historic parkland provide unparalleled opportunities for enjoyment, exploration and healthy living in the heart of the capital. The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park (with Primrose Hill), Richmond Park and St James's Park. |
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