Tree removal and goose harassment.

We have gone back at tree removal in the last few weeks and work is moving well thanks, again, to the nice weather and lack of snow. It's hard to say for sure but I think we are starting to get caught up with all the dead Ash trees and moving into yearly tree maintenance. Every year there are a few trees that die for myriad different reasons and we need to remove those for safety. We rarely cut down living trees but, I think there is a misconception among some people that we are removing living trees. I bring this up because a few times people have come out and asked me why I'm cutting down trees. The only time we take down living trees would be because it is causing a shade issue on a green or if it is adversely affecting the growth of another tree which would benefit from its removal. Cases like this are more the exception than the norm.

Dead oak at #11 tee. Notice how much of the canopy shattered, this is always a sign of a dead or dying tree. Those are dangerous limbs to have 60' above your head.

Again, shattered and rotting limbs high above.

Tree rotting at the trunk.

This is an article that does a good job of explaining some of the different diseases and insects that kill trees every year in our area.
A Tree Hugger's Guide To The Forest Dynamics Of Northeast Ohio

Once again, geese are trying to find places to hang out this winter and they are attempting to make Barrington their home. To discourage this we are letting the ponds freeze and harassing them whenever we get a chance. This means bird bangers, screamer sirens and chasing in carts. It's very important to keep geese from getting too comfortable so we'll be aggressive with the harassment. Last year we had good luck with the same approach so, hopefully we can duplicate those results and have another goose reduction in 2016.

Ian