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• PRO

  Gary RK November 9, 2010 at 6:37pm

  Agree it will shoot back. I've done exactly this to a willow in my garden last year (see picture). It shows a 10ft high trunk pollarded with around 6 months growth when the snows hit. Now it's double this size and maybe pruned again in the future to keep it under control. Full size pic on my profile page.
  
  

  
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  Lawncare-4u.co.uk November 9, 2010 at 6:44pm

  it needed it .
  i bet they were all complaining it was on pavement and leaves all over the road etc.
  
  it will do it good and will come back healthy , it will grow twice as quick and look revitalised. !
  
  the grass will recover too lol.
  
  -cut out the dead wood :)
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  Marc Cole November 9, 2010 at 7:29pm

  I wonder if the paper will run a report on it next yr when the willow will be back to it's glorious old self
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  pete November 9, 2010 at 8:41pm

  I'd like for someone to tell me how come – whoever they are... should be in the position and can have the moral (is that the right word?) authority to put TPO's on certain trees which do not merit it. We work at a place with a small wood and every tree has a TPO on it – I understand there's some rare bats here but I'm not sure whether or not that's the reason for the TPO's.... the thing is, I don't think we're allowed to take off even the odd wayward branch.... but.... nobody is coming in to manage the place - it's the hollies in particular I have a grievance with – they've made dense thickets and crowded over rhododendrons that were planted many years ago – I'd really like to make this little wood nice for people to walk around and be in
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  Pip Howard November 9, 2010 at 8:58pm

  Hi Pete
  
  I am guessing this is a conservation area and not that every tree has a separate TPO on it. I have heard many Tree Officers frankly abusing their authority by stipulating that a conservation area is a blanket TPO zone - it isn't and the laws allow for good management of the area. However, and this is where I start to disagree with you (the 'forester vs horticulturalist' war), The rhododendron planting should never have been allowed in an area containing native trees and to hear about hollies crowding out rhodies is music to my ears. I fear I may be in the minority here as they seem to be so popular - but given their poisonous roots their ability to host and fester pathogens and spread them around and the difficulty in controlling their spread I would be happy if they were all sent back to the Himalayas where I am sure they look wonderful.
  
  
  
  
  pete said:

  I'd like for someone to tell me how come – whoever they are... should be in the position and can have the moral (is that the right word?) authority to put TPO's on certain trees which do not merit it. We work at a place with a small wood and every tree has a TPO on it – I understand there's some rare bats here but I'm not sure whether or not that's the reason for the TPO's.... the thing is, I don't think we're allowed to take off even the odd wayward branch.... but.... nobody is coming in to manage the place - it's the hollies in particular I have a grievance with – they've made dense thickets and crowded over rhododendrons that were planted many years ago – I'd really like to make this little wood nice for people to walk around and be in
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  pete November 9, 2010 at 9:07pm

  For anyone interested - pollarded willow discussion - at the bottom of the page is a photo of this pollarded willow six months on and Gaynor, I don't think this one here looks beautifull at all, but as Pip says - it had planted in the wrong place to start with
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  Lawncare-4u.co.uk November 9, 2010 at 9:20pm

  some groups of trees are 'grouped' by council and tpo's put on as a whole - probably easier for them.
  
  family member has a 'plot' with silver birches, sycamores on and (7 trees in total) they are grouped with a tpo. on end of a residential crescent with bungalows on and by a road all round with phone/elec wires and old people !! surprise it was the old town-mayor that put it on who lives across the road.
  
  - 3 trees down soon and it now has planning permission :)
  
  pete said:

  I'd like for someone to tell me how come – whoever they are... should be in the position and can have the moral (is that the right word?) authority to put TPO's on certain trees which do not merit it. We work at a place with a small wood and every tree has a TPO on it – I understand there's some rare bats here but I'm not sure whether or not that's the reason for the TPO's.... the thing is, I don't think we're allowed to take off even the odd wayward branch.... but.... nobody is coming in to manage the place - it's the hollies in particular I have a grievance with – they've made dense thickets and crowded over rhododendrons that were planted many years ago – I'd really like to make this little wood nice for people to walk around and be in
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  Pip Howard November 9, 2010 at 9:45pm

  Touché
  
  But in my defence I would never recommend planting a member of the Salix family within 40metres of a building.
  
  With a background in forestry I was taught to loathe Rhodies as this may help to explain - Argyll News - but even in the highlands where there is huge problem the tourist pounds, when they appear en masse to view the rhodie blossom may well outweigh any financial loss as a result of these vermin shrubs.
  
  I am fighting in a tiny corner on a website full of gardeners.
  
  
  
  pete said:

  For anyone interested - pollarded willow discussion - at the bottom of the page is a photo of this pollarded willow six months on and Gaynor, I don't think this one here looks beautifull at all, but as Pip says - it had planted in the wrong place to start with
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  David Cox November 9, 2010 at 11:26pm

  Often a TPO can be the only thing keeping an area with any greenery. In parts of inner city Leeds (Headingly area) there are roads without a single tree on, yet nearby stunning roads still with their original Linden/Lime's. The contrast is stark, and without TPO's they would all be gone due to unfounded subsidence fears and ill-informed insurance assessors (for new buyers), and the age old problem that some people just hate green.
  My G'F's street is down to 1 tree out of 100+ verges, yet the next street has a tree per verge.
  Pruned / Pollarded properly there shouldn't be shading or sub issues!
• PRO

  Gary RK November 10, 2010 at 6:19am

  This tree is now the subject of a page spread in The Sun and also BBC Breakfast News this morning.
  
  All the so-called 'experts' are passing comments from afar...
  
  I love consise, accurate reporting .... ;-0)