Pollarding vs Pruning: Key Differences Explained

To Prune or to Pollard?

Pollarding is a way of managing a tree by cutting its branches back to a framework at a set height, then removing the regrowth from those same points on a regular cycle. Pruning is the selective removal of individual branches to improve a tree's shape, health or size without changing how it is managed.

Both keep a tree under control, but they are not alternatives you can switch between freely. Pollarding is a long-term commitment started on a young tree, while pruning can be done to almost any tree at almost any stage of its life. Knowing which one a tree needs saves a lot of money and, occasionally, the tree itself.

What is Pollarding?

Pollarding begins by cutting a young tree back to a framework of short branches at a chosen height, usually above head height so new shoots grow out of reach. From then on, the shoots that grow from those points are cut back to the same places every cycle. Over the years the cutting points swell into rounded knuckles, known as pollard heads, and the tree regrows from them after every cut.

The technique is centuries old. It was used to produce a steady supply of poles, firewood and animal fodder above the reach of grazing livestock, and Essex has some of the best surviving examples in the ancient beech, hornbeam and oak pollards of Epping Forest.

Timing matters. Pollarding is done in the dormant season, from late autumn to late winter, before the buds break, when the tree has stored energy ready for regrowth. Cutting as the leaves are emerging in spring puts far more stress on the tree.

Two rules decide whether pollarding will work. The tree has to be a species that regrows strongly from cut wood, and the pollard should be started while the tree is young, while the branches being cut are still small.

Which Trees Suit Pollarding

Willow, poplar, lime, London plane and hornbeam all regrow vigorously after hard cutting, and they are the species most often seen as pollards. Lime and plane are the classic pollarded street trees; willow is the familiar pollard of riverbanks and field ditches.

Birch and cherry respond badly to heavy cuts, and most conifers, leylandii included, will not regrow from bare wood at all. Yew is the exception among conifers and can be cut back hard.

Converting a large, mature tree that has never been pollarded is rarely a good idea. It means cutting through thick old wood that the tree struggles to seal, which often leads to decay, dieback or the loss of the tree. Where a mature tree has simply outgrown its space, a crown reduction is usually the safer route.

What is Pruning?

Pruning is the selective removal of branches to improve a tree's structure, health, size or clearance, without committing the tree to a repeating cycle of cuts. On garden trees it usually takes one of four forms.

• Crown reduction makes the whole canopy smaller by cutting branches back to healthy growth points, keeping a natural outline.
• Crown thinning removes selected inner branches so light and wind pass through, without changing the tree's shape or size.
• Crown lifting takes off the lowest branches to clear a lawn, drive or path.
• Deadwooding removes dead, dying and broken branches that could fall.

Timing depends on the species. Most deciduous trees are pruned in late autumn and winter, when the structure is visible and there is no nesting season to work around. Cherries and plums are usually pruned in summer to reduce the risk of silver leaf disease. Birch, maple and walnut bleed heavily if cut in late winter or spring, so late summer to early winter suits them better. Dead or dangerous branches can be removed at any time of year.

Key Differences Between Pollarding and Pruning

• Technique. Pollarding cuts back to the same fixed points every time, leaving a framework and the pollard heads. Pruning removes selected branches back to healthy growth points or to the branch collar, and no two cuts are in the same place twice.
• Commitment. A pollard has to be maintained. Once started, the regrowth needs cutting on a cycle, or the heavy limbs that develop can split the old heads apart. Pruning carries no such obligation.
• Frequency. Garden limes and willows are commonly re-pollarded every one to three years. Many established garden trees only need pruning every three to five years.
• Timing. Pollarding is done in the dormant season, late autumn to late winter. Pruning timing varies by species, as above.
• Age of tree. Pollards should be started young. Pruning suits trees at any age, including mature and veteran specimens.

Neither is the same as topping, which cuts large branches back to bare stubs as a one-off. Topping leaves wounds prone to decay and produces dense, weakly attached regrowth that becomes a hazard within a few years.

Which One Does Your Tree Need?

Choose pollarding if the tree is a suitable species, it is still young or already an established pollard, the space will never accommodate a full-sized tree, and you are happy to have it cut on a regular cycle.

Choose pruning if the tree is mature, if it has never been pollarded, if you want it to keep a natural shape, or if the problem is a specific one such as low branches over a drive, a dense crown or dead wood in the canopy.

Consider removal and replanting if the tree is the wrong species in the wrong place entirely. A leylandii screen that is brown inside, or a forest tree three metres from a house, will never be a comfortable fit, and a smaller species often solves the problem permanently.

One thing applies to both. If the tree has a Tree Preservation Order or stands in a conservation area, permission is needed before any cutting, whichever technique is used. We can make the application to the council for you, free of charge.