A healthy landscape is ever evolving. Many of you have noticed and remarked on our most recent additions to the community landscape, Shadbush courtyard in particular with its new plantings and fresh appearance. As I plant the new, I also reminisce with several villagers about the loss of some other cherished tree on campus.

I want to highlight part of our tree maintenance priorities this afternoon. Many of our mature trees, both deciduous and evergreen, are original to the property, and have reached a stage requiring serious work to rejuvenate them and in some cases they may require removal.

The most recent White Pine removals near Pagoda courtyard came after thorough consideration and discussion, including consultations from outside arborists, to remove them before they created an incident. In the 11 years I’ve worked on the grounds at Pine Run we followed a more reactive approach to tree maintenance. We fixed them when they broke and replaced them when they fell over. Our new philosophy I am pleased to say is changing. We are being more proactive about the care and management of the trees on the property. We have selectively pruned many of our large canopy trees this year with crown thinning, and raised the branches of Lindens, Pin Oaks, Maples and Honey Locusts. You will see more changes this fall as we address some of the White Pines and Hemlocks damaged in storms.

We continue to improve the condition of our mature plantings. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the new wall and plantings between Chestnut and Dogwood courtyards, you should take a look. I wish I had before and after pictures with me today.

One other success story I want to mention is the improvement in our turf fertilizing and weed control program this year. We switched over to an organic granular program. Some people are pleased with the environmentally green impact we are striving for, others are thankful for less odor. But I am impressed with the results. Before our recent fall application we sent soil samples out for analysis and received better than expected results in our first season. All nutrient levels are up from the spring and the organic content in the soil is great. We’re a little light on PH and will budget for a lime application next season.

— Marc Stine, Lead Grounds Worker