---
title: Pollarding: A Pruning System That Is Not Topping
url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/pollarding/
business: Battle Born Tree Service
address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701
phone: 775.232.8243
hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service
credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured
type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood)
---

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- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- Pollarding

# What is pollarding?

Pollarding is a pruning system begun on a young tree, in which the new shoots are cut back to the same swollen knuckles at regular intervals, so the crown stays compact. It looks like topping but is a planned, repeated routine, and it cannot be started on a mature tree without harming it.

## How it differs from topping

A pollard is built from the start: the tree is headed at a chosen height when young, and the shoots that sprout from that point are removed every year or two before they grow thick. Over time the cut points swell into knobby heads, and the new growth is always small and young.

Topping is a one-time chop through large limbs at random heights, leaving stubs that sprout weakly attached shoots. The ANSI A300 pruning standard does not accept topping, and the industry guidance is not to pollard a tree that was not trained that way. See [why topping is not pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/why-tree-topping-is-not-pruning/).

## Why it matters in Northern Nevada

Pollards are old practice for willows, London plane and a few other species in Europe, and a few are found here on street and plaza trees. On most residential lots in Reno and Carson City a different question comes up: a neighbor or a former owner topped a tree, and the owner wonders whether it can be turned into a pollard. Usually it cannot, because the cuts were made through big wood and the regrowth is already weakly attached. That tree needs [crown restoration](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/crown-restoration/) or removal instead.

Pollarding also commits the owner to the schedule. Skip several years and the shoots grow too big to cut back cleanly.

## What an arborist does about it

The arborist looks at the species, the age and the history of the tree and tells you honestly whether a pollard is possible. For most mature trees the better routes are [reduction cuts](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/reduction-cut/) to a smaller crown, or removal if the tree is too large for its spot. Battle Born does not top trees. Ask the arborist at the estimate which approach fits yours.

If you inherited a topped tree and are not sure which of the two you have, look at the cut points. Smooth, swollen knuckles with thin new shoots point to a managed pollard; ragged stubs with thick sprouts point to topping.

### Sources

- [International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Pruning Your Trees](https://www.treesaregood.org/treeowner/pruningyourtrees) (read October 17, 2026)
- [International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Pruning Mature Trees (brochure)](https://www.treesaregood.org/Portals/0/siteContent/pdf/Web%20TAG%20brochures/TAG_CBweb_Pruning%20Mature%20Trees_v3.pdf) (read October 17, 2026)

### Talk to the office

[775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243)

| Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered |

Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service.

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### Keep reading

- [Arborist glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/)
- [Why topping a tree is not pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/why-tree-topping-is-not-pruning/)
- [Crown thinning, raising and reduction: what each means](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/crown-thinning-raising-reduction/)
- [Tree trimming and pruning](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-trimming-pruning/)

## See also

[Reduction cut](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/reduction-cut/) [Crown restoration](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/crown-restoration/)