Date post: | 16-May-2015 |
Category: |
Technology |
Upload: | arborcarbon-pty-ltd |
View: | 111 times |
Download: | 0 times |
26 June 2013
Sustainable vegetation management in golf courses
Paul Barber
Contents
• Why are trees in golf courses important?
• Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses
• Alternative Approaches to Vegetation Management
• We All Have Standards
• In Conclusion
Why are trees in golf courses important? • Improved health and well-being
• Increased biodiversity values and refuge (habitat, food, shelter)
• Reduction of urban heat island effect (UHIE)
• Increased carbon sequestration and climate regulation
• Maintenance of heritage and cultural links
• Increased noise and pollution capture
• Improved stormwater management and flood mitigation
• Increased house and course values
• Increased safety to occupants and nearby commuters
• Highly valuable asset – social, environment, economy
WHAT ARE THE COSTS:BENEFITS OF MAINTAINING YOUR VEGETATION?
ECONOMIC AND ENERGY COSTS MAY BE HIGH USING CURRENT APPROACH
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Devt & Overpruning
Yulia, Hardy, Barber and Dell (2013) A severe canker disease of Corymbia ficifolia caused by Quambalaria coyrecup in native and urban forests Western Australia. Forest Pathology (submitted) • Wounding is required for canker development to occur. ECONOMIC AND ENERGY COSTS MAY BE HIGH USING CURRENT APPROACH
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Climate
Meineke, Dunn, Sexton and Frank 2013 Urban warming drives insect pest abundance on street trees. PLoS ONE 8 • First evidence that heat can be a key driver of insect pest outbreaks on urban trees • Urban warming similar in magnitude to predicted global warming over next 50 years
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Soil, Water, Nursery Stock
Ishaq, Barber, Hardy, Calver & Dell (2013) Seedling mycorrhizal type and soil chemistry are related to canopy health of Eucalyptus gomphocephala. Mycorrhiza
Cai, Barber, Dell, O’Brien, Williams, Bowen & Hardy (2010) Soil bacterial functional diversity is associated with the decline of Eucalyptus gomphocephala. Forest Ecology & Management
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Pests & Diseases
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Pests & Diseases
Barber, Paap, Burgess, Dunstan & Hardy (2013) A diverse range of Phytophthora species are associated with dying urban trees in an Australian capital city. Urban Foresty & Urban Greening (submitted)
Vegetation Disorders in Golf Courses – Pests & Diseases
Paul D. Manion 1991. Disease Decline Concepts
Predisposing Factors • Urban Environment!
Inciting Factors • Poor pruning • Construction • Mowers/Whipper Snippers • Hail damage • Golf Balls! • Pathogens/Pests
Contributing Factors • Phellinus • Phytophthora • Stem-borers
Alternative Approaches – Diagnose & Treat
Disease Triangle
Disease
Pathogen/Pest
Host Environment
Pathogens/Pest • Presence of pathogen/pest • Pathogenic • Adaptability • Dispersal efficiency • Survival efficiency • Reproductive fitness
Environment • Temperature • Rainfall • Humidity • Leaf wetness period • Soil temperature • Soil water content • Soil fertility • Soil organic matter content • Wind • Air pollution • Herbicide damage • Mechanical damage • Pruning
Host • Susceptibility • Growth stage and form • Population density and structure • General health • Suitability to site
Alternative Approaches – Diagnose & Treat
• Water management is a major concern for tree managers in Australia
• South-west WA > 25% decrease in rainfall over past 30 years
• Climate change – more extreme weather events
• How do trees respond? • May be delayed in response, or other
inciting or contributing factors
Same same but different....trees are complex!
• Many endemic pathogens favoured by the urban environment
• Irrigation, fertilisers, low soil microbial activity, disturbance, mechanical damage
• New incursions a major threat • Myrtle rust
• Increased susceptibility to decay/failure
Alternative Approaches – Diagnose & Treat
Alternative Approaches – Diagnose & Treat
Alternative Approaches – Diagnose & Treat
Alternative Approaches – Look down, not just up! Monitoring change in canopy condition over space and time
Alternative Approaches – Look down, not just up! Quantifying change in canopy cover, impervious layers, soil etc.
• Model developed to select vegetation within scene. Overlay of shapefile of vegetation (red) on high-resolution true colour airborne imagery.
• First version of model > 95% accuracy. Calculated 18.4% canopy cover within scene Vegeta
&on
Impervious
Soil
Shadow -‐500
0
500
Change 2010 to 2011
Alternative Approaches – Look down, not just up! Quantifying change in canopy cover and shadow
2009-‐2010 2009-‐2011
|
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
2007 2008 2009 2010
801
802
803
804
Alternative Approaches – Costs:Benefits Don’t just think short-term costs:benefits when considering your actions, but think more broadly and longer term – client, society, environment, global community
Some Items to consider: • Trees are long-lived
• Do you have a long-term plan for your course and the trees? • Match species to site – also root volume & crown space • Suitable nursery stock (tube stock V advanced), species to site • Soil preparation, planting technique, timing of planting, irrigation
Alternative Approaches – Costs:Benefits Some Items to consider: • Formative pruning to minimise future management
• Adequate protection to minimise damage
• Is pruning really necessary? Would you scalp your turf
• Monitoring program – early diagnosis – pro-active
• Correct diagnosis = correct management
Alternative Approaches – Costs:Benefits
Aukema et al. 2011 Economic impacts of non-native forest insects in the continental US. PLoS one 6:9
• Costs largely borne by homeowners and municipal governments
• Wood-borers (e.g. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) to cause nearly $1.7 billion in local govt expenditure & $830 million in lost residential property values (replacement & treatment far more expensive than containment)
McCullough & Mercader (2012) Evaluation of potential strategies to slow ash mortality caused by EAB. International Journal of Pest Management 58:1, 9-23.
• Ash survival dependent on 1) early detection & treatment, 2) # of trees treated, 3) distribution of treated trees c.f. introduction point.
We all have standards
Three standards worth taking note of when it comes to your trees
• AS 4454 (2012) Composts, soil conditioners and mulches
• Will go a long way to minimising introduction and spread of disease
• AS 4970 (2009) Protection of trees on development sites
• Tree Protection Zone (TPS), Structural Root Zone (SRZ) and lots more
• AS 4373 (2007) Pruning of Amenity Trees
• All your pruning should be carried out to this standard….cheaper contractors may cost you more in the long term
In Conclusion… • Golf courses are incredibly important refuges within the urban area, and the
trees within them provide a wide range of values – social, environment, economy
• Many predisposing, inciting and contributing factors can impact upon vegetation health
• Devt & overpruning, climate, soil, water, nursery stock, pests, diseases, pesticides
• These disorders can be diagnosed
• Accurate diagnosis is critical to the sustainable and cost-effective management
• We must think outside the square when it comes to diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, management – there are alternatives to current ‘business as usual’
• Sit down and weigh up the long-term costs and benefits to different approaches
• Make careful decisions about how you manage the health of your vegetation – there are standards and many different approaches
Acknowledgements • AGCSA
• Darren Wilson & Adam Robertson
• Contact details
• Dr Paul Barber | email: [email protected] | Ph: +61 419 216 229 | www.arborcarbon.com.au