Pollarding
/POL-ard-ing/🧑🌾 Cultivation●● Intermediate
Pollarding is an ancient management practice where a tree is initially headed at a chosen height and then repeatedly pruned back to the same knuckle-like points (pollard heads) on a regular cycle (typically 1-5 years). This produces a flush of vigorous new growth from each pollard head. Unlike topping (which is random), pollarding is a planned system started early in a tree's life. Common pollarded species include London plane, linden, and willow.
Etymology
From poll (head, top of head) + -ard (suffix indicating action)
Example
“The London plane trees along the boulevard had been pollarded annually for decades, creating their characteristic knobby silhouette.”