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Wildlife
- Close
- - We protect wildlife in Britain and around the world by bringing our most threatened species back from the brink of extinction. We do this through ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Wild places
- Close
- - Some habitats contain such a richness of life that we need to protect them at all odds. We are working to preserve ancient woodlands, orchards and wood pastures and parklands, as well as the countless species they support.
What we do
- Close
- - Everything we do is based on scientific evidence. We gather this through surveys, which you can take part in, and by awarding research grants to the most inspiring scientists worldwide. This evidence guides our conservation efforts and is shared through our events and publications.
Who we are
- Close
- - People’s Trust for Endangered Species was set up in 1977 to save our wildlife. We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees and our team of staff are passionate about protecting endangered species and places.
Success stories
- Close
- - We strive to bring our most threatened species in the UK and around the world back from the brink of extinction. Our successes come from ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Get involved
- Close
- - There are so many ways you can help save endangered species. Fancy taking part in a survey, joining us on a wildlife event or becoming a regular supporter?
Shop
- Close
- - Support our work in our shop with a range of charity gifts, home-ware, cards and more. 100% of the profits go directly to help wildlife both in the UK an overseas.
Donate
- Close
- - There is nothing natural about the alarming rate at which we are losing animals and their homes. It is absolutely avoidable. We can stop the loss of our wildlife – but we need your support. You can act now by choosing to give to our cause. Thank you.

Home // Key species and habitats // Wood Pasture and Parkland // Wood Pasture Wildlife // Pollard trees

Pollard trees

Pollarding is a form of tree management that removes the upper branches of a tree, resulting in a dense head of branches and/or foliage regrowth. Pollard trees take a characteristic shape as a result of this.

Historically this was common practice in wood pasture to provide leafy foliage as a diet supplement to grazing animals and also as a source of wood.

Many pollard trees you may come across in wood pasture are no longer being managed in this way, but they are still identifiable by their distinctive shape, with all the limbs growing from one height on the trunk, which often has a swollen knotty appearance.

Perhaps surprisingly, the periodic cutting involved in pollarding actually increases the longevity of the tree, causing many to survive as veteran and even ancient trees; providing fantastic deadwood in the bole of the tree and in all the nooks and crevices pollarding creates.

Many of these old trees may even be older than they look, the process of pollarding actually reduces the rate at which these trees grow, this means you can’t estimate their age so accurately using girth as you would with normal trees.

Scroll through the gallery to see examples of pollard trees

Veteran pollard with tear

Image 3 of 6

At some point, this old pollard has lost one of it's branches, resulting in this tear down the trunk. As you can see from the scar tissue, the tree healed over the wound and the tree remains healthy. This can happen with 'lapsed' pollards (historically pollarded trees that have been allowed to grow out) as the wood connecting the trunk to the limb after pollarding is not as strong as it would be in a maiden tree. If the limbs are left to grow out, they can be too heavy for this weak point and eventually break. These oaks have not been pollarded for over 300 years so this is not an immediate concern.