A pollard is quite simply any tree whose upper branches are periodically pruned right back: we call this pollarding. The term pollard comes from this practice. Every one of us has come across a pollard somewhere along the way, and yet very few people have taken notice or know the history and the role of these peculiarly shaped but familiar trees.

Having populated our landscape for thousands of years, pollards are living witnesses to a long history between mankind and plant. Throughout Europe, from ancient times until the 1950s, pollards have played an essential role in the rural economy. Dethroned by the Industrial Revolution, they are today a biological and cultural heritage of inestimable value and yet remain little known.

Despite the services they have provided for mankind, pollards are often overlooked, notably because of their appearance which does not correspond with the aesthetic criteria that we have created for trees. The way pollards are regarded is now beginning to change. There is now a much greater awareness and the pollard is becoming one of the emblematic symbols of the return to the land movement and the conservation of the ecosystem.

The documentary “Remarkable Pollards” invites you to get to know these trees, their multiple uses and multiple faces. This is one way to pay them tribute, to discover their extraordinary qualities and their ecological value for today and the future.