Branching Out Your Risk Management

Proper tree care and management can be essential to minimizing risk in such heavily treed areas as golf clubs and various gardens. Golf clubs can learn from incidents that similar businesses or organizations have encountered. One example sticks out which happened in the Humber Bay Park East located in the Greater Toronto Area:

“A woman in the GTA was out for a picnic on a beautiful summer day with her family. Then something they never could have imagined happened, a large tree on the side of the path they were walking on feel over and landed on mother. It took almost an hour for police to get that and free her from this terrible situation. She was rushed to the hospital with very serious injuries leaving her family in shock and dismay.” (Haniff, 2011)

All courses have trees within their design and with that come various risks

Improper branch removal can leave sharp edges on trees that can result in cuts and bruises

Improper removal of fallen limbs and branches opens the opportunity of slips, trips and falls into any of the surrounding objects which opens the door for different degrees injury

Falling trees and branches can strike players or workers causing injury or even death as noted in the Humber Bay Park East incident

Action Plan

• Ensuring that during the offseason and throughout the season maintenance is done thoroughly and properly. This includes such things as:
• Removing all dead or dying trees within play
• Removing any small trees that will not survive due to lack of sunlight or nutrition which may also kill other healthier trees around
• Maintaining any branches that have broken off
• Ensuring that you remove all debris or remains from any area on that course that is in place and relocated to an out of play location
• Frequently checking up and evaluating any large trees that are within any high traffic areas

Going the extra mile

Seeking the help and advice of an Arborist can be very helpful in evaluating and building a plan to locate and properly move any trees that are dying or are restricting the availability or exposure of sunlight to the surrounding area

Bringing in specialists to help specify and evaluate any issues concerning building codes, procedures or policies with power lines or buildings

Added Benefits

Proper removal and maintenance with a solid strategy or plan can have additional benefits apart from risk management:

• Keep your other trees healthier
• Increases the sunlight availability to the grass and surrounding areas
• This will help with the health of your grass and trees which can reduce the time, staff and materials required to maintain the area
• This can also help to reduce the use pesticides and fertilizers which is a benefit both to the club`s budget and the environment

Works Cited

Haniff, A. (2011, July 20). Woman Seriously Injured After Tree Falls On Her. The Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: The Toronto Star.

By Paul Ngimat