In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
While out for a drive on Sunday in the beautiful Norman countryside we
came across an unusual oak quite close to the town of Bagnoles de
l'Orne. At about head height the main trunk splits into six and is known
as the Chęne des Six Frčres. Struck by the strangeness of this
phenomenon we wondered whether it was a freak of nature or whether it
had been persuaded to grow in this way for some reason. ...
Can anyone tell me how it's possible to persuade an oak to divide its
main trunk in this way? It is certainly an arresting sight. Also are
there any similar examples in the UK? Third question: why do people do
it?
Lots of them.
When a tree like an oak has its growing shoot removed, it will regrow
with any number of new ones. It is rare for this to be more than two
or three, if the young shoot is eaten by an animal, but it can be
quite a lot if a half-grown-tree is struck by lightning or otherwise
broken off.
People also used to pollard oaks deliberately, though coppicing was
more common, because the 4-6" shoots were extremely valuable for
firewood, charcoal, building etc. See Rackham on this.
Thanks, Nick and Sacha, for your replies. I don't think that it's
pollarding and the theory of cutting off the leader to provide
side-shoots had also occurred to us. But there does seem to be more to
it than that. The six branches don't grow out at an angle which is what
you would normally expect when the leader is damaged in some way, they
grow straight up rather like the columns of a classical temple.
When we go that way again (probably again next Sunday to visit our
favourite tea-shop!) I'll make sure I have my camera with me and see if
I can take a better picture than the one I referred to - in that one you
can see only about three of the branches.
We have a couple of young oaks here in our garden, one in honour of the
birth of our first grandchild born nearly eleven years ago. Charlie's
Oak has been nibbled frequently by sheep in the past but we've got rid
of them now so there should be plenty of branches that we can train.
I'll let you know in about fifty years' time whether we have been
successful!
David
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