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Tree-mendous
24 May, 2007 By: Larry Aylward<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
I know that big trees can be a colossal pain in the neck for golf course superintendents. They cause shade problems for turf. They suck the life out of the soil. They cause infighting among club members.
But I'm sure most superintendents will agree that our nation is home to some of the most majestic and magnificent trees on the planet.
You know the kind of trees I'm talking about — the ones that stop you in your tracks and make you gawk. The ones that sing a tranquil song while waving in the wind, despite their prominence.
Savannah, Ga., specifically the famous Savannah Squares, is dominated with such trees. In fact, people travel hundreds and thousands of miles to walk the city's 22 public squares and see its trees.
I spent some time in Savannah recently, where the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) held its annual meeting. TOCA is comprised of editors, writers, publishers, photographers, public relations/advertising practitioners, industry association leaders and others involved in green industry communications. We walked many of the squares and talked about the trees.
There are about 85,000 trees in Savannah, many of them close to 100 years old. Why, the trees are so important to Savannah — called the Forest City — that the city has a guy with "tree director" in his title. That would be David White, the city's Park and Tree Director, who gave TOCA members a tree tour to cherish. The trees that enamored us most were the Spanish moss-draped live oaks, which appeared as noble as knights in shining armor.
"The old saying is they grow for 100 years, live for 100 years and die for 100 years," White, a certified arborist, says of the live oaks.
Enough of talking about the trees. It's time to let you see them. Below are some photographs, which don't do the trees justice, but do give you an idea of their grandeur.
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