Biodiversity of pollards
International conference brings together experts from across Europe
Sarah Bryce, Production Editor of the ARB Magazine
Two ancient beech pollards at Burnham Beeches.
Over 30 years on from a seminal meeting at Burnham Beeches about the management of pollard and veteran trees, the City of London Corporation decided to revisit this diverse subject by hosting a conference in June.
Organised in collaboration with the Ancient Tree Forum and the Arboricultural Association, the two-day meeting focused on the biodiversity of pollarded trees. Although management activity on the majority of Europe’s pollards has long since lapsed, the work carried out by people over hundreds of years to harvest animal fodder, building materials and other products from these trees has contributed to creating habitats for a vast range of other species. Ancient pollards are now key to supporting biodiversity in the places where they survive.
More than 200 delegates from across Europe heard from a range of speakers at Taplow Court, Buckinghamshire. This extraordinary venue is owned by SGI-UK, which hosted and generously supported day one of the conference.
Dr Helen Read, the Conservation Officer at Burnham Beeches and the lead organiser for the event, described the 35-year journey she and her colleagues have been on to determine how Burnham’s collection of long-lapsed ancient beech pollards can best be preserved and how the site should be managed so that species which live with and on the old pollards can be secure in the future. Helen, who was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for her services to conservation and arboriculture, described how understanding and techniques continue to evolve – and how Burnham has drawn on international experience and UK expertise over more than three decades.
Talking trees as holobionts and soil farmers with Claire Harbinson from Treework Environmental Practice.
Shaun Waddell, Grant Thornhill and Gavin Bodenham from the City of London’s teams discussed haloing techniques like those used around the tree behind them.
An ancient hollow pollard protected from curious human visitors by beech timber sourced on site.
Twenty other speakers then provided insights into surviving pollard populations in other parts of Europe, as well as associations between pollards and decay fungi, lichens, bats, woodpeckers and invertebrates. They also explored some of techniques that are being developed to help secure the future of biodiversity associated with pollards, including veteranisation methods, ways of creating boxes that mimic the natural hollows which are habitat for saproxylic beetles, and techniques for managing or restoring wood pasture systems.
On day two, experts from a wide range of disciplines ran 12 workshops at Burnham Beeches - a Site of Special Scientific Interest, National Nature Reserve and Special Area of Conservation. Their vast range of expertise meant delegates were able to hear, see and discuss many aspects of managing and monitoring pollards, from advanced pruning, propping and haloing techniques to trees as soil farmers and fungi hosts; from translocating rare lichen to monitoring TReMs (tree-related microhabitats) to predict which trees in a population could become the most important for biodiversity in the future; from the potential of 3D lidar measurements for new insights in pollard management to grazing as a way of promoting biodiversity.
The organisers hope conversations which began at the conference will continue to inspire and inform work long into the future.
The Association will be publishing the conference proceedings with contributions from many of the speakers.
This article was taken from Issue 210 Autumn 2025 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.