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: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/27931
Facility&Operations Tree selection and planting Recommendations for optimum planting success tions to maximize planting success. W Q: What type of planning should be done before planting a tree? A: The most critical aspect has to be thinking ahead. It’s very easy for enthusiasts to prepare the ground meticulously — clearing the site and getting the soil and protection for the tree just perfect — only to over- look how things will look in 30 or 40 years time. To be fair, the prob- lems usually lie with the client: many want ‘big’ results quickly. When they put in an oak or a red- wood, they just can’t picture how quickly this little sapling will com- pletely dominate its surroundings. So I would say one of the most im- portant skills any tree care expert needs is a doctorate in client psy- chology — the ability to persuade the homeowner, planner or architect of the need to scale things down and, more importantly still, to con- vince them the new realistic idea was actually their own brainchild. Q: What recommendations would you make in terms of trees that tolerate urban conditions? A:Obviously the tree has to be relatively tough, drought and pollu- tion tolerant, but scale is probably the most critical issue. Big trees take up a huge amount of light and space — and, in time, spreading branches and foliage can easily create prob- lems. At best this requires costly maintenance, but at worst it can end up in costly litigation and even the loss of the tree. That’s the bad news, but the more constructive path is to think in terms of maximizing im- pact. I come from the university town of Oxford. Fifty years ago someone had the brainwave of plant- ing ornamental cherries along all the main roads in and out of town. These never produce any fruit, but they flower for almost a month and have wonderful purple leaves. In other words, they are a wonderful addition to an already beautiful city for at least half the year. Q: What suggestions do you have for matching the tree to the planting site? A: That’s an incredibly difficult question. Obviously there’s no point planting a tropical tree in an area where there’s winter snow for months on end, but given that, I don’t think there are hard and fast rules. I love all trees in their natural setting, so I would tend toward HEN SELECTING A TREE FOR PLANTING, there are several considerations to take into account. John Kmitta, edi- tor of Arbor Age, SportsTurf’s sister magazine, recently asked Daniel Butler, author of “How to Plant a Tree,” for sugges- >> DANIEL BUTLER is a former editor of Tree News, the in-house magazine for England’s Tree Council. In his book, “How to Plant a Tree: A Simple Celebration of Trees and Tree-Planting Ceremonies” (Tarcher/Penguin, April 2010), Butler offers a wealth of informa- tion on these stately subjects, including details about commemo- rative tree-planting ceremonies for every occasion. The book can be ordered at Amazon.com. planting native species. That said, I live in Wales on the western fringe of Britain, and some of the most spectacular trees locally are Californian sequoias planted by Victorian entrepreneurs 150 years ago. They are just stunning in our Celtic valleys. And I also love utilitarianism — I just adore the idea that as well as looking beautiful in its own right, a nut or fruit tree will produce a natural bonanza of nutrients for both man and wildlife in due course. So, what’s the an- swer? Well, in the end, the most important thing is to re- member that the trees we are talking about are for people. Therefore, it’s critical to work with the client and, better still, the local community — what do they like? Do they want just the aesthetic beauty of wonderful bark, blossom or leaves Common sense is by far the most important thing. It is pointless planting a mango in Ohio, and a birch is never going to thrive in Nevada. Most trees have evolved to thrive in a particular habitat, and you ignore millions of years of plant genetics at your peril. 38 SportsTurf | April 2011 www.sportsturfonline.com