R Decker,
Great job with the trees!
"TREE REMOVAL: FINESSING THE LANDMINE OF CLUB POLITICS:"
This is a heading in my Tree Maintenance/Removal Bible which I distributed at Golfweek's Restoration Conference last month. Portions of this document are located below:
1. Take a Covert Approach with Tree Removal: Too often it is necessary to skirt membership detection and the wrath of those emotionally attached. So don't notify or alert the membership of tree removal plans. The practice of marking a tree for removal with orange paint or a red ribbon is much too conspicuous.
Unless it is an outright specimen, don't bother trimming a tree either. The wound typically leaves an obvious scar to remind all golfers of your sin.
When? The best time to remove trees is when the club is closed or when no one is around. Snow storms present ideal opportunities for tree removal.
If trees are removed in the middle of winter, no one will notice the next spring.
If trees are removed in the dead of night with a high horse power chipper, a tarp, and a sod crew, (like Oakmont), no one will likely miss the trees the next day.
How many? How often? Take a conservative, gradual approach. Do not send the membership into a state of shock or panic. Prioritize and start removing slowly. By the time memberships start noticing the tree loss, they are endorsing a program they never would have honoured up front. With tree removal, a methodical approach builds consensus.
If tree removal is necessary, but not urgent, copper nails and chemical treatments are fine choices to promote a slow departure. Ordinarily, memberships don't object to the removal of rotten, brown hardwoods which have mysteriously or inexplicably perished. Golfers will offer good riddance when these trees become unsightly and present liability or safety concerns.
2. A Negotiable Approach with Tree Removal: Club democracies often demand membership approval and consent.
Agronomic Persuasion: Virtually all golfers prefer thriving turf. Because memberships are more concerned with good agronomics than with strategic shot making, it would be good politics to approach tree removal with the emphasis on the ability of growing healthy, green grass. Architectural principals are generally unaccepted as justifications for tree removal. If you try to convince them that the tree was unoriginal, unattractive, unduly penal, or strategically improper, you had better take cover.
Barter and Compromise: Compromises work just as well. Golfers, who are sentimental about trees, ordinarily appreciate flower gardens and other formalized beds adorning the premises. Focus on such arrangements in conspicuous sections around the clubhouse. Thus, if you erect a shrub bed beside the parking lot, you will not appear as ecologically insensitive for logging a few menacing trees on the golf course.
Bring in the Experts: Memberships rely upon expert opinions. But make sure you hire informed experts. Preferably, golf course architects and USGA agronomists can persuade memberships to adopt a tree removal plan. Arborists and horticulturists should not be permitted to take on this endeavor.
Good luck to all!