Pollarding vs. Coppicing:
Which Method Suits Your Garden?

Managing trees and shrubs effectively is a crucial aspect of gardening and landscape maintenance. Two traditional methods of tree pruning, pollarding and coppicing, have been used for centuries to promote healthy growth, control size, and provide sustainable wood resources. While both techniques involve cutting back trees to encourage new growth, they serve different purposes and produce distinct results. Understanding the differences between pollarding and coppicing will help you decide which method best suits your garden’s needs.

What is Pollarding?

Pollarding is a pruning technique that involves cutting the upper branches of a tree back to a specific height, typically above the reach of grazing animals or human interference. This cut encourages the growth of a dense head of new shoots from the top of the remaining trunk or main branches.

How Pollarding is Done

Pollarding generally takes place at a height of 6 to 10 feet (about 2 to 3 meters) above ground level. Once the tree has been pollarded, it produces vigorous new shoots from the cut points each season. These shoots can be harvested regularly for various purposes or left to grow into a leafy canopy.

The process begins with selecting a young tree or an established one with a sturdy trunk. The upper branches are cut during late winter or early spring when the tree is dormant, reducing stress and promoting healthy regrowth. Subsequent pruning cycles happen every few years, depending on the species and intended use.

Benefits of Pollarding

• Size Control: Pollarding keeps trees at a manageable height, ideal for urban gardens or areas with overhead obstructions like power lines.
• Sustainable Harvesting: The regrowth provides renewable material for stakes, poles, firewood, or decorative elements.
• Enhanced Longevity: Pollarded trees often live longer because the repeated cutting reduces weight and wind resistance.
• Aesthetic Appeal: Trees with distinctive pollard heads can add architectural interest to gardens.

Suitable Tree Species for Pollarding

Not all trees respond well to pollarding, but some common species that do include:

• Lime (Tilia spp.)
• London Plane (Platanus x acerifolia)
• Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)
• Willow (Salix spp.)
• Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

What is Coppicing?

Coppicing is another traditional woodland management technique that involves cutting a tree or shrub down to ground level or just above it to stimulate multiple new shoots growing from the stump or root collar.

How Coppicing is Done

In coppicing, trees are cut back near ground level during dormancy, usually in late winter or early spring. This prompt cutting triggers vigorous shoot growth from dormant buds on the stump known as “stools.” Over several years, these shoots grow tall and straight before they are harvested again on a rotation cycle that suits the species’ growth rate.

Unlike pollarding that manages height above ground level, coppicing focuses on continuous regrowth from ground level. The frequency of coppice cutting depends on the intended use of the wood, from 7 to 20 years per cycle for fuelwood or fencing materials.

Benefits of Coppicing

• Renewable Wood Supply: Coppicing offers sustainable timber production without replanting.
• Encourages Biodiversity: The cyclical opening up of woodland canopy during coppice rotations creates habitats for wildlife.
• Increased Vigour: Trees managed by coppicing tend to be healthier due to continual renewal.
• Versatile Uses: The wood harvested can be used for fencing stakes, firewood, charcoal making, basket weaving, and craftwork.

Suitable Tree Species for Coppicing

Many broadleaf species coppice well, such as:

• Hazel (Corylus avellana)
• Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa)
• Willow (Salix spp.)
• Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)
• Oak (Quercus robur)

Key Differences Between Pollarding and Coppicing

Choosing Between Pollarding and Coppicing for Your Garden

The decision to use pollarding or coppicing depends largely on your garden’s environment, your objectives for tree management, and species suitability.

When to Choose Pollarding

Pollarding is ideal if:

• You want to keep trees at a certain height without sacrificing their health.
• Your garden has space restrictions such as narrow pathways or nearby buildings.
• You need regular supplies of small-diameter wood without replanting.
• You desire an ornamental effect characterized by characteristic knobby branches topped with fresh shoots.
• Your trees are in locations vulnerable to browsing animals like deer or livestock.

Pollarded trees maintain a clear trunk beneath their regrowth “heads,” which works well in formal gardens or urban settings requiring neat maintenance.

When to Choose Coppicing

Coppicing suits your garden better if:

• You have woodland or large areas where multi-stemmed shrubs or trees can thrive.
• You want to manage trees primarily for wood production such as firewood, fencing poles, or crafts.
• You are interested in promoting biodiversity through rotational woodland management.
• Your garden has more space allowing natural light penetration once mature stems are harvested.
• You want vigorous regrowth that leads to multiple stems emerging from one stool.

Coppiced stools develop new stems that can be harvested sustainably while maintaining rooted plants indefinitely without replanting.

Practical Considerations for Both Methods

Timing Is Crucial

Both methods should ideally be done during the dormant season, late winter or early spring, to reduce sap loss and stress on trees.

Tools Required

Use clean, sharp pruning saws or loppers suitable for the thickness of branches being cut. Disinfect tools between cuts if dealing with disease-prone species.

Regular Maintenance

Both pollarded and coppiced trees require cyclical management:

• Pollarded trees may be pruned every 2-5 years depending on growth speed.
• Coppiced stools typically have longer rotation periods ranging from 7 up to 20 years based on species and usage.

Watch for Tree Health

Proper pruning cuts prevent decay. Avoid cutting too close to the trunk in pollarding; leave enough stub so new shoots can emerge healthily. In coppicing, make clean cuts close to ground level but avoid damaging roots.

Wildlife Considerations

While both practices encourage new growth beneficial to some wildlife species, excessive disturbance may harm nesting birds or insects if done during breeding seasons. Plan accordingly.

Final Thoughts: Which Method Suits Your Garden?

Pollarding and coppicing offer sustainable ways to manage trees that balance human use with ecological benefits. If you want controlled size growth with aesthetic appeal in confined spaces, pollarding is your best bet. For larger areas where sustainable wood harvesting combined with enhanced biodiversity is desired, coppicing offers an excellent solution.

Before deciding, evaluate your garden’s size, tree species present or planned, maintenance capacity, and your end goals for tree use. Both techniques require commitment but provide rewarding outcomes in terms of plant health, garden beauty, and natural resource use.

By incorporating either method thoughtfully into your gardening routine, you support centuries-old traditions that connect us with nature’s rhythms while promoting sustainable stewardship right in your own backyard.