EFFECTS OF POLLARDING AND WATHER ON THE INCREMENTAL TRUNK GROWTH OF COMMON LIME (TILIA X EUROPAEA) IN AN URBAN CONTEXT

Abstract

Summary Core were taken from the trunks of thirty-five pollarded and thirty-five unpollarded lime trees (Tilia x europaea) in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and annual growth rings were measured. The act of pollarding led to an initial growth spurt then, for a few years, a relative decline in trunk growth rate. Data suggest that weather, especially temperature and rainfall regimes of the preceding seasons, together with a range of site effects, including inter-tree spacing and soil, had a greater impact on annual trunk growth than pollarding. It was difficult to ascertain any convincing environmental relationships with non pollarded trees.