Tree Safety

There are those among us that don't think we should ever cut down a tree, but the pictures you're about to see should help explain one of the reasons why sometimes we have little choice.

This week we took down the large trunked oak tree that was just left of the forward tee on #4.  This tree had been unhealthy for some time, regularly dropping limbs and displaying a number of dead limbs.  We also knew that it was at least partly hollow.  In the photo above this large section of trunk was hollow all the way to the top - at least 20'.

Because of the large size and for our crew's safety, we hired a tree service to drop the tree, and we're glad we did.  Once down we discovered that the tree was mostly hollow.  Any good wind might have been enough to bring the tree down. This tree was dangerous and a potential liability for the club.

Here you can see the remaining stump.  You'll notice that on one side there are places with less than 2" of wood holding the tree together.

There are a number of reasons that we have trimmed and/or removed trees, and will continue to do so.  Some are for agronomic reasons, to aide the health of the turf grass.  Others, like this tree and the two that we removed on #2 this winter, are for safety reasons.  If you have any questions please contact any of the green committee members and they will be happy to discuss with you.