Conservation & Ecology General Management Prescriptions Continuous Cover
Management Woodland managed in a sustainable manner seeks to ensure that a young generation of trees is produced to replace those in senescence. In commercial forestry, this is often achieved by clear felling then restocking an area of woodland. When the objectives are aesthetic and conservation based, it is preferable to have a range of age classes within the wood. Continuous cover management has advantages in providing continuity of landscape and wildlife habitats. In mature woodland, restocking occurs via natural regeneration or planting in gaps in the canopy. These gaps may arise as a result of natural tree death or windblow. Where natural regeneration or planting is required and no gaps exist, these will need to be created by selective felling.
Selective Thinning of Even-Aged Stands
Larger areas of woodland on a course may have a wealth of naturally seeded regeneration. However, its development can often be hampered by the shade cast by even-aged high canopy. Selective thinning to favour more sustainable species, such as oak, will improve the age structure of the woodland and address any reliance on pioneer species such as birch, which are relatively short-lived. Assuming the average lifespan for birch woodland on the golf course is 40-45 years, a significant proportion of the woodland area must be regenerated each year to prevent rapid deterioration of woodland cover in future decades.
The removal of stunted stems and those of poor form will concentrate future growth on better, more attractive trees, particularly around tees and greens where tree removal will allow both better light penetration and air circulation whilst improving the quality of the grass sward. The opportunity should be taken to break up stands that are very linear in appearance, thinning and scalloping edges to create a more natural appearance. Homogenous stands may then be under planted in order to increase species diversity.
The stability of the woodland will improve as the trees are then allowed to develop with a balanced canopy and root system, ensuring that they will not become drawn and unstable. It will also guarantee that any future works produce timber of a marketable quality with straight, knot free stems that will benefit the economics of management.
It is recognised that club members may be alarmed by large scale felling operations. Therefore, it is recommended that all felling be undertaken in an unobtrusive manner as possible, with timber being extracted only when essential to the smooth running of the golf course or for economic gain. This policy will also serve to increase deadwood habitats for fungi, birds and invertebrates.
However, in some cases where arisings are over abundant and could have a negative effect on the ecology of the site or would have implications on play, then chipping or burning may be required.
Heather will suffer if trees are allowed to shade it out
“The basic understanding of golf course design is something which most golfers do not understand or
even have an interest in” The basic understanding of golf course design is something which most golfers do not understand or even have an interest in, and perhaps we all expect too much from the average member. After all, he is there to get away from life’s toils and relax, so why should he get involved with the side of the game which he only has a passing interest in and which, as we all know, can be a political hot potato. Perhaps golf course architect Tom Simpson best summed up the true situation; “Most people appreciate and have some understanding of a lovely landscape, but not one golfer in a hundred knows a good hole when he sees it. He may like the hole or dislike it, but that has nothing to do with whether, in fact, it is good or bad.”
Trees and the Golf Course
Deadwood will provide habitat for a variety of flora and fauna
112 PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2013
Woodlands will regenerate, either on their edges or within natural formed clearings in the forest. Woodlands will, therefore, readily invade areas of unmown rough or on heathland courses in order to reproduce. It is, therefore, essential to have a management regime in place to control the spread of regeneration into areas where it is undesirable. Even links courses will suffer invasion if correct management prescriptions are not in place; hawthorn or birch will normally be the first pioneers by the coast. However, in certain areas, introduced species such as White Poplar and Sea buckthorn are major problems, especially as they reproduce through suckering from their roots and will even attempt to invade the putting
surface, as witnessed at Royal Lytham and Seacroft.
These species also have the intrinsic problem that, when trying to remove them, any vegetative material, however small, which is left within the soil will attempt to produce a new plant. It is, therefore, necessary after removal to implement a programme of weed control for any suckers which appear. Unfortunately, since the old
greenkeeping practice of burning the rough or heather in the autumn was banned, no alternative prescription has been adopted, allowing regeneration to enter such areas. This has had a devastating effect to the landscape on courses which were once open terrain, commons, moors and heaths becoming woodland - the problem being compounded as the present membership are unaware of the true character of the course, and the present misinformed, but widespread, view that no tree should ever be removed. When, in fact, if these misguided members wish to retain sustainable woodland cover, it is essential that the woodland is managed in order to allow the remaining trees to develop. However, the first question asked has to be whether trees and woodland are suitable for a particular site, and many considerations have to be taken into account. Firstly, what originally attracted golf to the site. Often, it was a combination of the land being infertile and, therefore, of little value to agriculture; conversely, the infertility and typically sandy, acid soil which goes with this was ideal for
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