Tree Work

There is a very large oak tree to the left of the fairway on #5 at Leslie Park that has seen better days. Unfortunately, this tree is very important to how the hole plays. It is also very hard to replace a tree of this size. With that in mind, we have implemented a program to try and save the tree. Earlier this year, we hired a forestry consultant to look at the tree and provide recommendations. They came out in September and loosened the soil at the base of the tree. They also recommended trimming out all of the dead wood.

This is the tree in June of 2014.

Another shot of the same tree. The yellow leaves are a sign that the tree is not healthy.

This was taken looking east before the dead wood was trimmed out.

After trimming. It should be noted that these shots are taken from the side of the hole. When viewed from the tee or the green, the tree looks less lopsided.

Looking west before trimming.

After trimming.

Hopefully, these steps will keep this tree healthy and alive for many more years.

Gypsy Moth Update

I am happy to update you on the gypsy moth caterpillars that I wrote about a couple of weeks back. (HERE) The caterpillars have declined significantly and the oak trees have started forcing out new leaves. Hopefully, this will mean that all of these trees will survive.

New leaves in the canopy

A closer look at the one inch long leaves.

These trees look much the same as they would in the early spring.

Gypsy Moth Caterpillars

Some of you may have noticed the large numbers of caterpillars in the oaks near #9 tee. These are the larvae of the Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) and the have nearly defoliated some of the oak trees between # 6 tee and #9.

The brown looking trees in the middle of the frame have almost no leaves left.

I talked with the City of Ann Arbor's Urban Forest Planner, Kerry Gray, and looked at the trees. She noticed that a lot of the caterpillars had been infected with Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV)  or Entomophaga Maimaiga (EM.) These two infections should keep the infestation of gypsy moths from getting out of control. 

NPV is a naturally occurring virus that spreads through colonies of Gypsy Moths. Infected caterpillars hang from the tree in an inverted v position. It is also the so-called "Zombie Virus." According to wikipedia,

 Zombie caterpillars is a fanciful description of the behavior of Lymantria dispar dispar infected with NPV. National Geographic described the gruesome effect of NPV; "The virus forces the "zombie" caterpillars to climb trees, where the invader eventually liquefies its hosts' bodies into a dripping goo."  Many news sources also reported the zombie-like effect of the caterpillar, stemming from the virus's ability to hijack the behavior and liquefy the caterpillar in order to spread the infection.

Gross.

The fungus Entomophaga Maimaiga (EM) is an introduced pathogen of Gypsy Moths. That causes the caterpillars to turn rock hard and hang from the tree in a head-down posture.

Here you can see dead caterpillars hanging in both positions.

An oak with hundreds of dead caterpillars on the trunk.

This tree has a few more gypsy moths.

Kerry said that the trees will likely push out new leaves and should be okay. The only caveat would be if we have another extremely dry summer. In that case, we might have to water these trees in order to keep them as healthy as possible.

Looking up at the canopy of one of the oak along #9 tee.

This is all that is left of the leaves.