Letters to the Editor
A selection of your personal comments and questions on published items and areas of concern
POLLARDING AND beginning of the last century Even old willows respond
and they, too, are nonTHE BEEKEEPER well to pollarding, which
flowering and give no nectar. involves cutting off all the
I am pleased to clarify a In Leeds when Major Trigg, top branches
couple of points raised by the newly appointed director
two of our readers in respect of parks, planted trees
of the paragraph ‘Trees for throughout the leafy suburbs
Beekeepers’ in my article on in 1922 he was severely
Trees and Timber (Bee Craft, criticised for spending £5000
November, page 20). I on them. He responded to his critics, ‘Censor me again in 50
mentioned some trees of years time’. I have since
importance to beekeepers in seen a large number of trees
which I included the willow. The re-growth is vigorous there subjected to pollarding,
In the next paragraph carried out incorrectly or
‘Pollarding’, I wrote that carefully whereas floweringpossibly unwisely.
pollarding or coppicing of cherry trees are easy toI will not argue from an
any of the above trees is to pollard. It is said thatamenity point of view that
be deplored as, from a pollarded trees may attainsome tree species are fine
beekeeper’s point of view, much greater ages becausespecimens once they have
trees treated thus can they are maintained in abeen pollarded. I made the
become non-flowering. To partially juvenile state, andstatement from a
clarify this statement, I they do not have the weightbeekeeper’s point of view.
know of a large number of and windage of the top partPollarding older trees can
lime trees that were of the tree. result in the death of the
expertly pollarded over a Older pollards oftentree, especially if there are
decade ago by a specialist become hollow and so canno branches below the cut,
tree surgeon for a large be difficult to ageor the tree is of an
landowner in North accurately. Pollards tend toinappropriate species.
Yorkshire which have not grow more slowly, with
flowered since. Again, in The willow is the perfect narrower growth rings in
my native Warwickshire a species for pollarding and the years immediately after
large bed of osiers had my text should have said so. cutting. Pollarding is
been pollarded and Beech, oak, sycamores and sometimes abused in
coppiced since the limes should be pollarded attempts to curb the growth A year year later it is
of older or taller trees but, flowering
performed properly, it is
Join the Bee Craft Team useful in the hands of aBee Craft skilled practitioner of
Vacancy arboriculture for tree management.
Due to expansion, Bee Craft is seeking another Michael Badger, MBE, MA,
Leeds, YorkshireDeputy Editor
CHIVERS HIVES
You must be computer literate. Experience of typesetting and/or Reading Chris Evans'
graphic design is desirable, although training will be given. interesting description of
yBeekeeper preferred. ethe hives he found in a l
wo
Further details from: Andrew Gibb – e-mail: aqry26@dsl.pipex.com Clocal barn, I would suggest ret
eP
Page 22 Bee Craft digital December 2008
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