Davey Resource Group

Mesa Verde Country Club: Turning 'Hazards' into Sustainable Benefits

The trees at Mesa Verde Country Club help define the field of play on the golf course, accentuate the natural setting by screening undesirable views, and establish the maturity and history of the grounds with their appearance and stature.  An effective management plan guides the maintenance of course trees based on their specific needs while controlling costs and promoting efficiency and sustainability.  In spring 2010, Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa, Calif., contracted with Davey Resource Group (DRG) to perform a comprehensive urban forestry analysis for its golf course.

DRG completed a GIS tree inventory, developed a five-year comprehensive tree management plan and provided a three-year subscription for Davey’s TreeKeeper^® tree management software.  The project addressed the health and maintenance requirements of all significant trees and focused on three primary objectives:

1. increase sustainability of the course’s urban forest
2. reduce long-term tree maintenance costs
3. improve club member experience on the course

Today’s golf course superintendents consider sustainable practices an important management tool.  DRG determined that a sustainable urban forest at Mesa Verde Country Club should include proper practices that promote a long, healthy life; strategic removals that eliminate declining or competing trees; and a prudent planting program that increases diversity and balances the course trees’ social, economic and environmental benefits.

The analysis revealed the grounds have more than 1,800 trees with nearly 60 distinct species. It provided the superintendent with an understanding of the trees and their needs that will help maintain the beauty of Mesa Verde Country Club and the sustainability of the course’s urban forest.