Pollarding

Technique of severe pruning of trees

Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In ancient Rome, Propertius mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE. The practice has been common in Europe since medieval times, and today is used in urban areas worldwide, primarily to maintain trees at a determined height or to place new shoots out of the reach of grazing animals. In the past, people pollarded trees for fodder to feed livestock or for wood.

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