The intimate relationship between oaks and peas

Here you see some pollarded oaks, not very overwhelming, but unmistakable. The principle with the pollarded oak is the same as with other pollard trees. In this pruning form, the branches are regularly cut off between 2 and 4 meters high. Over time, this creates a pollard, a kind of bump from which new branches continually grow. Our ancestors discovered that certain trees and shrubs could be used as sustainable wood producers. 'Sustainable' because you could harvest from the same plant repeatedly without it dying as a result. In times when wood was scarce, this provided enormous advantages. Pruning wood from pollard trees had countless applications. Depending on the type of wood, the pruned wood had different uses. Besides pollarded willows and oaks, you can also find pollarded ashes, linden trees, and hornbeams in Flanders.

What about those peas?

Just like beans, peas belong to the legume family, scientifically known as Fabaceae. They have climbing stems with pods. They need support to grow. A clear distinction must be made between the bean pole and the pea stick. The bean pole is a straight stick with a length between 3 and 6 meters. A pea stick, on the other hand, is a non-pruned stick with a length between 1.5 and 2 meters. They were placed diagonally along the outer side of the growing beds as support for the pea vines.

For pea sticks, preference was consistently given to durable types of wood with many branches, such as that of the oak. To grow peas on a larger scale, you need large quantities of quality pole wood. This made pea sticks an expensive investment for the farmer. He had to supply as much as possible for his own needs. The best solution was to pollard as many oaks as possible in the vicinity of the fields.

Jan Rymenams