TREE CARE
Regular inspection and constant monitoring is an essential step in preventing damage from tree decay .
as part of their weekly routine . Whichever approach works best at your facility , keeping simple notes on the status of each tree helps greatly with investigating possible decay .
HOW TO DETERMINE HOW EXTENSIVE IT IS Once an inspection and monitoring routine is set up , it ’ s important to implement some key techniques for decay detection . The most basic and often most helpful technique is simply probing with a screwdriver . As simple as it sounds , pushing a standard or Phillips screwdriver against any area that looks soft or punky and seeing how far it can be pushed into the bark or sapwood is very telling in terms of whether decay is present .
How much is too much ? It depends . If it ’ s a big tree and a screwdriver can be pushed in an inch or two , it ’ s probably not a significant amount of decay . However , if it can be pushed in 6 inches or more , then it should be
The seriousness of tree decay is greatly increased if a tree has other defects such as severe leaning .
30 SportsField Management | November 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com