Tree Maintenance

“Tree-t Em’ Right”

If trees could talk, then all 1,098 of them at Spring Creek Country Club in Ripon, Calif., would give a collective thank you to Superintendent David Piper for taking an interest in their well being.

Trees are frequently forgotten golf course assets. Yes, when an errant shot hits a tree, golfers aren’t exactly singing its praises, but strip a course that has beautiful tree-lined fairways and you will have the membership or regular players singing the blues.

In 1999, the Davey Tree Company conducted a tree inventory of Spring Creek. At that time, David Piper, CGCS, used the information given to him by the tree company to develop a spreadsheet.

The next step of the tree inventory was to develop a pruning/maintenance program for each of the trees. During the tree inventory, Davey Tree classified the trees into four categories. For example, a Class I tree requires small amounts of corrective pruning, whereas a Class IV tree may need complete crown reduction.

A three-year plan was initiated to perform scheduled maintenance for the different categories of pruning. Trees that need major corrective pruning are given top priority. Trees that require little or no pruning are given a lower category rating and the maintenance is performed accordingly.

A map noting the location of each tree was generated from the acquired information and inserted into an Auto-Cad program. This map is prominently displayed in the maintenance facility for crewmembers and visitors to view. The map also serves as a helpful reminder to crewmembers and management when trees have been removed. When new trees have been planted they are also listed on the map.

Special considerations are being made for the 339 native Valley oak trees (Quercus lobata). Several of these large oak trees are prominently in play and in need of specialized pruning procedures. With the aid of the database, map and the pruning schedule, the maintenance crew can devote some of their time to keeping these living pieces of history in good shape.

Along with the tree pruning, Piper has initiated a plan to reduce the amount of water that is being applied to the base of the oak trees. Since most of the oaks have been irrigated for years, a strategy was employed to remove existing heads and vegetation from approximately 20 feet in diameter around the root crown of the tree. This cultural practice has helped reduce the potential devastating diseases while still providing the water the trees have grown accustomed to receiving.

This year was the second year the Spring Creek membership allocated significant resources for the tree health budget line-item. The membership has realized that neglecting such valuable resources is not in the overall best interest for the course or their golf games.