What is a pollard?
A detailed survey of all the ancient pollards on Ashtead Common has been planned for Winter 2008. Expert consultants are being employed to look at each individual pollard on Ashtead Common, assess its health and condition and make reccommendations for its future management. In many areas of the Common, the old pollards are so close together that they must be assessed in groups, as work carried out on one tree may affect several others. The result of this in-depth survey will be a 30-year prioritised management programme for Ashtead Common’s veteran oaks, which will include further monitoring to assess how they are responding to work carried out. The survey will also start to highlight Ashtead’s potential veterans of the future to ensure a continuity of rich wildlife habitat for many species.
