Editing Pollarding (section)

==Practice==
[[File:Dülmen, Umland -- 2014 -- 7064.jpg|thumb|A line of pollarded [[willow]]s in Germany]]
[[File:Plane trees in Sóller being pruned 02.jpg|thumb|Pollarding of plane trees on Mallorca, Spain]]

As in [[coppicing]], pollarding is to encourage the tree to produce new growth on a regular basis to maintain a supply of new wood for various purposes, particularly for [[fuel wood|fuel]]. In some areas, dried leafy branches are stored as winter fodder for stock. Depending on the use of the cut material, the length of time between cutting will vary from one year for tree hay or [[Withy|withies]], to five years or more for larger timber. Sometimes, only some of the regrown stems may be cut in a season{{Snd}}this is thought to reduce the chances of death of the tree when recutting long-neglected pollards.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Pollarding was preferred over coppicing in wood-pastures and other grazed areas, because animals would browse the regrowth from coppice stools. Historically in [[England]], the right to pollard or "lop" was often granted to local people for fuel on [[common land]] or in [[royal forest]]s; this was part of the right of [[Estovers|estover]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Forests and Chases of England and Wales: A Glossary |url=http://info.sjc.ox.ac.uk/forests/glossary.htm |access-date=2011-02-08 |publisher=Info.sjc.ox.ac.uk}}</ref>

[[File:Epping Forest pollard.jpg|thumb|Ancient pollarded [[beech]] tree in [[Epping Forest]], [[Essex]], [[England]]]]
An incidental effect of pollarding in woodland is the encouragement of underbrush growth due to increased light reaching the woodland floor. This can increase species diversity. However, in woodland where pollarding was once common but has now ceased, the opposite effect occurs, as the side and top shoots develop into trunk-sized branches. An example of this can be seen in [[Epping Forest]], which is within both [[London]] and [[Essex]], [[United Kingdom|UK]], the majority of which was pollarded until the late 19th century. Here, the light that reaches the woodland floor is limited owing to the thick growth of the pollarded trees.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Pollards cut at about a metre above the ground are called stubs (or stubbs). These were often used as markers in coppice or other woodland. Stubs cannot be used where the trees are browsed by animals, as the regrowing shoots are below the browse line.