Pruning Techniques: Coppicing and Pollarding Trees and Shrubs
What, why and when!
Coppicing and pollarding are two types of pruning for trees and shrubs. Both are traditional methods once used for wood production. Coppicing and pollarding create rapid, straight growth that would then be harvested for use in making baskets, fencing and other crafts or for burning as firewood.
Both of these traditional pruning techniques are still used today, with applications in both the ornamental landscape and the edible garden (with fruit and nut trees). Trimmings can be used in crafts, as kindling or as simple garden stakes.
Important note: Both coppicing and pollarding are methods of "hard pruning," which removes a large percentage of the plant's growth. Some species will not respond well to hard pruning, or may even die. A few of the better candidates for coppicing or pollarding include shrubby dogwoods, willows, hornbeams and beeches. When you're considering coppicing or pollarding a plant in your garden, be sure to research whether these methods are appropriate and effective for it.
The main difference between coppicing and pollarding is the height at which the cuts are made.
Coppicing is a pruning technique that cuts trees and shrubs to ground level, causing new shoots to arise rapidly from the base during the growing season. This method is commonly used for harvesting thin shoots as craft material, to keep the plant small or, in the ornamental garden, to produce larger and/or brighter stems or foliage. Coppicing also creates a multistemmed plant instead of one with a single large trunk.
Coppicing takes place in late winter or very early spring, when the tree or shrub is dormant. The stems are cut near or at ground level. Coppiced trees and shrubs undergo the same treatment every one to three years.
Related: "Easy Pruning Cuts for Beginners"
Pollarding is when young trees and shrubs are cut back at a desired height on the main stem or trunk. This is different from coppicing because the trees and shrubs are not cut at ground level, but higher, usually around six feet. Traditionally this method was chosen to keep the new twigs from being browsed by animals such as deer or livestock, and/or to make the ground between trees easier to use for additional purposes, such as grazing or growing other crops. (Because the growth spurred by pollarding is very vertical, more sunlight can reach the ground around the tree.) Pollarding maintains the plant at a desired height, and today this method is often employed to prevent urban trees from hitting overhead utility wires.
Like coppicing, pollarding occurs in late winter or early spring. Ideally, this method is started on young trees and shrubs as soon as they have reached the preferred height. The branches and stems are cut back close to the main trunk. Once plants are pollarded, the process must be kept up each year or every-other year, because new growth will be weak; it must be removed before it can break off and potentially injure the plant. Continue pollarding every year or every other year for best results, cutting back new growth just above the previous cuts.
Image credits: Coppiced trees by nickodoherty/CC BY 2.0 DEED; Pollarded tree by fen-tastic/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED
