On-Site Tree Pruning

As mentioned before, a large part of the renovation included the selective removal of trees, as well as the installation of new trees. Most of the removals were done to allow for the grading of the golf course but we also removed trees with compromised structure and health.

Once the removals had taken place and the course was grown in, we stepped back and evaluated new tree locations. Trees needed to be placed in areas where they would frame or impact the hole in a striking and fair way. Highly maintained turf sites are not ideal for trees so it was important that the tree species selected were capable of handling these areas better than others. We also wanted to choose as many native tree species as possible.

In an ideal world, we could transplant small, bare root trees and have them grow to a large size quickly, but unfortunately that is not the case. In order to make an instant impact to the golf course, we brought in trees of many differnt calipers, varying in size from 2" up to 8".

One thing that was consistent with all the trees brought in was that they would need to be pruned to assure they would grow to form and remain structurally sound. Not having alot of hands on pruning experience on the greens crew, I brought in Graham Herbst and Justin Everston from the Nebraska Forestry Department to show us how to get started.

The on-site class exceeded all my expectations. We spent time going through the concepts and philosophies of tree care. We also learned about proper tool selection, use, and care. We got hands-on experience evaluating a tree and choosing the proper pruning techiniques to use to improve it's structure. It was extremely educational and a great investment of our time.

To go into further detail about all the things we learned would take pages and pages of text. I will take the time in the future to delve into specific details of the experience. Until then, both Graham and Justin are very eager to spread the concepts of tree health throughout the community so please don't hesitate to contact them with questions or concerns. Their contact information is included below. Also, take some time to visit the Nebraska Forestry Department website: www.nfs.unl.edu/.

Graham Herbst: gherbst2@unl.edu
Justin Everston: jeverston1@unl.edu


Below is a video of the three-cut method that one would utilize when pruning or removing a structurally compromised branch.