Why You Should Seek a Golf Course Tree Management Plan

golf course

Golfing enthusiasts understand that the greenery and fauna on the course play a very important factor into the experience of the sport. Trees don’t only add aesthetic value to the course, they are also important in defining the boundaries of the course and to help direct players from hole to hole.

These types of wildlife however do require to attention from an arborist to ensure that they are healthy and there are no major issues that could affect the safety of the players on the course. While safety is always a serious issue there are rarely any serious incidents that involve falling branches on golf course because of good golf course tree management. However because of the possible effect of harsh weather conditions it is important that you have a golf course tree management plan in place to ensure the safety of your players.

As you have a duty of care for the players, the environment, visitors and staff it is vital that you have an appropriate golf course tree management plan in place. Below we explore the details of a golf course tree management plan and why you should implement one.

 

What does a golf course tree management plan entail?

The basics of a golf course tree management plan is that it is a procedure in place to ensure the safety of all stakeholders of the golf course. A long term and properly implemented plan will save you money due to doing little things over a long period of time rather than a big procedure and bill at once.

First stages of a golf course tree management plan involve a representative coming to the property to get an understanding of how many people frequent the grounds and the occupancy rate for certain parts of the site. This refers to areas with greenery that is frequently more visited than others. These areas are of focus as the higher the occupancy rate the higher the rate of potential harm. After the initial stage has complete the second stage is to get an arborist to look at the health of the branches and shrubbery on the property.

 

Arborists will become your best friend

An arborist refers to an individual who is a tree surgeon. A different term for these types of professionals is an arboriculturist where they practice arboriculture. The arborist will assess the overall health of your shrubbery using the Visual Tree Assessment method where they can determine the overall health of the branch and whether they are safe to be around.

From there the arborist will give your evergreen a risk rating depending on the potential risk of harm that could occur. The risk rating operates this way as a heavily damaged branch that could fall that is positioned away from all occupancy has a much lower risk rating compared to a bush that is located on or near the green.

After a complete assessment has been conducted on all of the shrubbery for the property, this information will be used to develop an appropriate golf course tree management plan. The plan will highlight areas that are in the most need of attention first in order to prevent any potential harm. With a list of all the branches and greenlife that are in order of importance, you can allocate your budget to those that need attention immediately and decide to spend money on the others when your budget allows it.

 

So why should you use a golf course tree management plan?

Companies that provide golf course tree management plans consist of experienced professionals that exist to make your life easier. These types of plans aren’t exclusive to just golf courses either, they can be applied to other public areas of high traffic with greenlife such as churches, parks and schools. When you work with a company that has been doing these assessments for many years you will find that they have the necessary tools to get it done quickly and cheaply.

Instead of waiting for disaster you should look to attack the problem pre-emptively. These plans are in place to save you money after all. You would much rather pay of small installments every month or so than if someone were to get injured and you had to cover their medical bills.

So with that in mind if you are the owner or manager for a golf course, school or church be sure to implement a plan similar to what was mentioned. It will ensure that you are covered legally and will keep all of your visitors safe. These procedures are an easy and effective way to ensure that your business maintains its high quality of safety for all visitors and passer-by’s alike.