SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/753045
22 SportsTurf | December 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com FIELD SCIENCE irresponsible manner. The past decade has seen significant ad- vancements in the treatments used, with new products for some of the most challenging pest issues arborists face. Up until 15 years ago, the treatments available for tree health care were products developed for other industries such as agriculture and golf. Rates for tree care were often added to the label with no scientific backing. Today, advancements in chemical technolo- gies are formulations developed specifically for arboriculture, focusing on the pest they are targeting, the method by which they will be applied, and the safety of the person applying them. For example, not more than five years ago, scale insects and caterpillar pests were only acceptably controlled by spray applications, but the operational and public relation challenges of spray treatments saw more and more arborists moving away from them all together. New research led to systemic treatments becoming available, allowing a technician to apply a treatment to the base of the tree and control damaging insects 100 feet up in the canopy. These technological advances improved the tree's health; made the tree care company's job easier and more profitable; and offered the tree's owner the same beautiful, healthy tree they desired. The technological advancement of chemical formulations has been evolving hand in hand with the equipment used to apply them. It wasn't that long ago when all tree health care application devices looked like they were cobbled together from hardware store surplus. More application devices are available today for tree care than ever before, and are being designed better all the time. The early generations of tree injection equipment were focused on getting the treatments into the tree and that's about it. Devices today are being designed with a focus on ergonomics, ease of use, and safety of the applicator from start to finish — including how easily they are cleaned back at the shop. As you can see, technology for tree care comes in many forms. Technology is not just computers and phones, but the tools we use every day get to the trees and perform our work. The most important advancement in tree care is not a single device, tool, or application we use, but our knowledge of how and when to use it. Although there are undoubtedly more tools and knowledge available to tree care professionals now than at any point in history, arboriculture is still an evolving science. What technology will we be talking about the next 10 years? Only time will tell. Brandon M. Gallagher Watson is creative director at Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements. Map showing the location of client trees (dots), the location of large commercial campus accounts (flags), and the median household incomes of the communities (darker green = higher MHI). Modular spray tanks can turn a pickup into a plant health care tool for significantly less than a dedicated vehicle. This tracked lift was able to access the tree from a small location, saving the customer thousands on the removal, and providing a safer workspace for the technical arborist.