Golfers generally seem to understand (or have been made aware) that tree regionalUpdateContent systems compete with turfgrasses for available water and nutrients, and that trees often lead to poor turf performance. Few, however, understand the extent of a tree’s regionalUpdateContent system. Most assume (using the analogy of a wineglass to represent a tree) that the base of the wineglass characterizes a tree’s regionalUpdateContent system. Not so. In actuality, a wineglass placed on a dinner plate is a more accurate representation. A tree’s regionalUpdateContent system does not end at the drip line; rather, it typically extends outward from a tree equidistant to its height. Furthermore, a tree’s regionalUpdateContent system is generally confined to the upper 8 to 12 inches of the soil which coincidentally is the same regionalUpdateContentzone that turfgrasses occupy. This emphasizes the importance of regionalUpdateContent pruning to sever tree regionalUpdateContent systems in intensively managed turfgrass areas and, even more so, the importance of tree removal to completely disable regionalUpdateContent competition.
Source: Ty A. McClellan (tmcclellan@usga.org)
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service
Contact the Green Section Staff