Willow Pollarding

During the 2022/3 and 2023/4 winters the willow trees by the church were pollarded for the first time in a long time. Their boughs had got too heavy and without pollarding the trees would have eventually collapsed. Each willow has grown into amazing “ent”-like shapes over the years and some look like they could just walk off!

Photos show trees before pollarding, having just been pollarded and some months after pollarding with amazing new growth.

Willow has an incredible ability to regenerate and some of the fence post sized branches have been placed near the river where they are quickly becoming new trees.

We have used the brash to create a substantial “dead hedge” which will slowly rot down and provide habitat and food for a wide variety of insects, fungi and other organisms.

Willows pre pollarding

Freshly pollarded tree.

The same tree in the summer.