ARBORICULTURE
Historical and sentimental value — Trees that were planted by the founders of the facility or chair of the fundraising group are sometimes easier to prioritize than volunteer trees that sprouted here and there on their own . Likewise , fields or campuses that bear the name of a particular tree species ( for example , Hickory Hills ), sort of beg for the inclusion of at least one tree of that species . Uniqueness and diversity — A sports field landscape that contains a whole bunch of just a few species is prone to being wiped out by a particular insect or pathogen . To expand the genetic resistance and appeal of the grounds near sports fields , planting and retaining a wide variety of species that are recommended by local arboreta is highly encouraged .
PRIORITIZE PESTS As mentioned , the insects and pathogens that degrade the permanent parts of the tree tend to be the most impactful . As such , we can place a higher value on the pests that damage the trunk , roots , base / bole and
branches over those that affect the leaves and flowers . Certainly , mites and insects that suck the sap out of the leaves make trees look ugly , but in the long-term scheme of things are less worthy of attention .
Unfortunately , some pests affect two , three or all parts of a tree . These are called “ double-whammy pests .” Examples of these include oak wilt , Japanese beetles , anthracnose , Dutch elm and thousand cankers diseases . In these situations , they automatically rise to the top of the list in terms of how much attention is paid to them . When added to the priority of the specimen itself and its age , location , uniqueness , etc ., prioritization usually becomes much easier .
TARGETS Targets — or people and pieces of valuable property — help with the prioritization process in addition to the species and pest characteristics . Trees or tree parts that are likely to fall on a target if they were to fail are simply more important than those where no vital features exist .
Leaf diseases such as apple scab of crabapples can be debilitating in the long term , but not particularly harmful in the first season of infection . Photos by James Kalisch , UNL
sportsfieldmanagementonline . com January 2024 | SportsField Management
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