Tree Care Management

Due to herbicide injury on white pines and other conifers, the crew has had to re-think its tree care management plan.  Prior to this season, tree care was limited to the removal of dead limbs and contracted chemical applications when the need was greatest.  However, with over 150 white pines on the course all showing signs of chemical injury a more integrated approach of pest management and tree care is needed.  With input from certified arborists, professors of entomology at Michigan State and Arborjet Plant Health Solutions, a conclusive IPM and health care plan has been put into practice over the past week. 



Much Needed Irrigation



The first step was a simple one, in theory.  Large amounts of water from the irrigation system have been applied to stands of white pines around the course.  These stands are out of the irrigation sprinklers reach so quick couplers have been installed at necessary points to allow watering of these areas.  The past month has shown precious little rain making the need for irrigation even stronger on weakened trees. 

The dry months experienced by Michigan increases the amount of time the irrigation system is used, not only on tree stands but the course in its entirety.  Meadowbrook does not use municipal waters so whatever comes out of the wells is applied to the course.  The results of a water test have shown that the concentration of sodium bicarbonates is well above recommended levels, a definite cause for concern.  Bicarbonates destroy soil structure within the profile, compacting the ground.  Extended periods of no precipitation events will lead to a decrease in turf density, especially on fairways where the soils are namely silts and clay.  An acid injection system installed in the pump house will decrease the pH of the irrigation water, lowering the concentration of sodium bicarbonates. 

Mulch beds are an effective way of decreasing damage done to the tree by mechanical means (mowers and weed whips stripping the bark at the base of the tree).  Members have probably noted the appearance of several new, large mulch and pine needle beds around the course.  These beds cover areas where turf barely clings to life, making the stands more aesthetically pleasing.  Aesthetics is only a secondary benefit though, the main benefit being an alteration of soil types in these stands.  A heavy layer of chipped mulch is applied to the area first.  This large amount of carbon will increase microbial activity in the area, breaking down the mulch and adding organic matter to the soil profile.  Organic matter has excellent soil moisture and nutrient retention, making these more available to the white pines in the area.  Finally, pine straw covers the mulch adding to the aesthetic value and decreasing the weed pressure.  As pine straw decompose it slightly acidifies the soils beneath it, a tough environment for weeds to germinate or grow within.  300 yards of mulch have been applied to various new beds and over 2000 bales of pine straw have been placed on top. 



Devising a Tree IPM Strategy



Trees have feeling too.  Not emotions that people would recognize but they can be "stressed out".  When a tree is injured it gives off a pheromone that insects can sense, making that tree a beacon for insect feeding and habitation.  Numerous white pines on the course have the potential to become hotels for a variety of bark beetles and borers.  Worse, if only one tree in a stand is giving off the pheromone, the insect population attracted to the tree will spread to the other healthy trees around it.  To combat this problem, on the recommendations of our arborist, preventative measures have been taken.  Arborjet Plant Health Solutions sells equipment and chemical products for a means of insecticide application known as tree injection.  Tree injection applies chemicals directly into the vascular system of the tree, limiting the exposure of the harmful insecticide to the applicator and surrounding environment.  It also guarantees that a larger amount of product is taken up by the target tree (more so than a base drench, the alternative that relies heavily on root uptake).  This practice should nullify the amount of damage done by insects to already threatened white pines. 





Tree Injection



Many turf management professionals view trees as a hindrance, even a weed in some cases.  They can make maintaining a healthy stand of turf a nightmare (shade, root competition, leaf and needle drop).  However, with a tree population as old as Meadowbrooks, many of the white pines have stood for over 70 years.  They add a majestic quality to areas of the course and would be sorely missed, by member and crew alike, if it becomes necessary to remove them.  Remember to look up every once and a while, and enjoy.