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A landmark publication capturing over 30 years of progress in tree conservation. The story of pollarded trees is one of growing understanding and growing importance.
This new volume brings together the proceedings from the 2025 conference at Taplow Court and Burnham Beeches, sharing the latest thinking on the biodiversity, management and long-term future of pollards.
Once overlooked, pollarded trees are now recognised as vital habitats, supporting rich ecosystems and playing a key role in our landscapes. This publication captures how that shift happened and what comes next.
Celebrating the biodiversity of pollarded trees
What began as a small one-day conference over 30 years ago has grown into one of the most important movements in arboriculture and conservation. Now, that journey and the remarkable progress made along the way has been captured in a new publication celebrating the biodiversity of pollarded trees.
In June 2025, more than 100 specialists from across Europe gathered at Taplow Court and Burnham Beeches for a landmark conference dedicated to pollards. For many, it was a moment to reflect on how far understanding has come, and where it needs to go next.
Talking trees as holobionts and soil farmers with Claire Harbinson from Treework Environmental Practice
Burnham Beeches: The cleared area around the ancient beech’s stem. (Helen Read)
Some of the old pollards at Burnham Beeches have clean stems and limited lower growth.
These newly released proceedings bring together the insights, research and discussions from those two days. But this isn’t just a technical record. It’s a snapshot of a field that has transformed.
Back in 1991, when the first conference on ancient pollards was held at Burnham Beeches, the concept was barely understood beyond a small group of enthusiasts. Today, pollarded trees are widely recognised as biodiversity powerhouses; supporting everything from fungi and lichens to invertebrates and birds, and playing a crucial role in our cultural landscapes.
This shift hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of decades of dedication from individuals and organisations, including the Ancient Tree Forum and champions like Ted Green, who have worked tirelessly to bring ancient and veteran trees into the spotlight.
The 2025 conference built on that legacy, sharing international perspectives and exploring how traditional practices and modern science can come together to protect these extraordinary trees. From veteranisation techniques to long-term landscape management, the conversations reflected a growing maturity in how we care for pollards—and why it matters.
As highlighted in the ARB Magazine coverage of the event, the gathering also reinforced the importance of collaboration, bringing together researchers, practitioners and land managers to exchange knowledge and challenge ideas.
This new volume ensures those conversations don’t end with the conference. Instead, they form a lasting resource one that will inform practice, inspire new research, and continue to shape the future of pollard conservation for decades to come.
For anyone with an interest in trees, biodiversity, or the landscapes we manage, this is more than a book. It’s a reminder that even the oldest trees still have new stories to tell and that our understanding of them is still growing.
Hard copies of the publication are available to purchase in the Arboricultural Association shop and will also be downloadable from the Ancient Tree Forum website.
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