In article ,
David Rance wrote:

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.

Why shouldn't it be pollarding? And the side shoots DO grow up
vertically from the top when a tree is pollarded.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.