To whom it may concern. My name is Mike, I own and operate a golf course in Cranbrook BC. I would like to know why my yellow pine are stressed and dying. For the most part they seem to be dying from the top down, but they are also showing many yellowed needles out at the tips of the limbs. A few years back we had a person from the Min. of Forests come by and look and they felt that the trees were recieving to much water. if you believe this to be the case, aside from cutting back on water, is there anything I can do to help these trees. They are vital to my operation, but so is green grass. Can I cut roots so as to lessen any up-take? Please help!! Thanks Michael MacNeill Director of Operations Mission Hills Golf Developments Ltd.
Pines need to grow in relatively dry conditions, and while they'll survive in rainy BC if grown on rocky, sandy soil that drains fast, they won't do well on a saturated golf course that's probably all loamy, peaty stuff, and not sandy grit. There isn't a lot you can do to change that, unless you've been watering them on purpose, in which case quit watering.
Out of curiosity, why are pines 'vital' to your golf course? There are thousands of tree species out there these days and I'd talk to local nurseries or tree farm people to see what'll do better on your course but still fulfil your needs.
Are the trees showing any other signs of stress? I have to wonder if they've been attacked by pine beetles. Mountain pine beetle images via Forestry Images.org.
Rima, Thanks for the response. In response to your question on vitality; The pine I have supply cover from stray balls for golfers as well they are very large, I probably should have said Bull Pine instead of Yellow Pine, they average about 20"-26" diameter ABH. There canopy spreads easily 20' wide. Although a fast growing poplar, under ideal conditions, could grow to 25'-30' in about 5 years they pose 2 problems, 1- they don't look natural. 2- their root systems bulge out of the ground causing a maintenance nightmare. Try to imagine mowing turf with these roots jutting up allover. I am however actively planting Douglas Fir. This species is, as you well know, able to grow in drought like conditions as well as wet belts. Problem is, in the rocky mountian trench, Doug Fir can be very slow growing. thanks again Mike MHGD
Mr. Mosquin Thank you for taking the time to so promptly reply to my thread. the few yellow pine that have died did not show any of the tell tail signs of RMPB. No blue stain and no little pitch pockets. The trees have been slowly stressing for a bout 10 years, about the time the golf course turned 4 years old. I am not purposely waterig thesse trees but they do line almost every fairway. So I imagine that the roots have feelers that extend well out under my turf. I thought I read somewhere that Yellow Pine, due to there dry gowing locals, send roots out 3 times further than the drip zone. If this is even close to true I'm in big trouble because that would pretty much mean that the root systems are everywhere and even with very strict irragation practices I would still be over watering these suckers. not only that but my sub-soil is clay, well not real clay but lake bottom silt that looks like clay, drainage is very slow and my top soil is very thin. We didn't haul in any top soil during construction we just used what was there. I'm very temted to try and cut off 1 or 2 roots on 1 of my stressed out trees. All that can happen is it will die, which it will by the end of this summer anyway! Some expert guidance in this matter would be greatly appreciated though. Let me know. Big thanks! Mike MHGD
Unless you can literally change the entire existing system of soil, clay, water, etc. (which practically you can't) things won't get better, but worse, and you might just want to investigate having the trees removed, either to be replanted in a more suitable location, or just for good, and growing something else there - I don't know that Douglas fir will like it much better, but possibly deciduous trees like birch (though they need acidic soil) or willow might help, anything that can grow in that muck!
If you're searching for info on the web, you may get better search results using the normal common name Ponderosa Pine, or its scientific name Pinus ponderosa.
Do not cut roots, not of any benefit to tree and if it topples then a definite mistake. Both irrigation and fertilizing killing trees from below as well as insects or disease coming in from above likely sources of dieback with this species. Adapted to very low precipiation regimes and like most pines subject to bugs and blights, whether in a golf course or not. Have a certified consulting arborist look at them. There should be a great variety of potential replacement trees available for irrigated and fertilized landscape, the aridity of the interior valleys is the main limitation--take this away and all kinds of plants will thrive, even turfgrass. Any of the pines there that may fail eventually might take years to do so, plant replacements between them and these may have some fair size before removals become necessary.
