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Back-Planting Trees

USGA Green Section | Published on 10/2/2024
By: Zach Nicoludis, regional director, Central Region

By back-planting younger trees near older ones, removals can be performed with a replacement already established, minimizing the impact on course appearance.

Shock and awe are common reactions when tree removal is performed on a golf course. Golfers have many opinions when it comes to what trees are desirable, how many trees are needed and whether tree removal should be performed in the first place. When trees start disappearing, it’s a pretty safe bet that some people are going to be unhappy. If you want to reduce the shock factor and set the table for a healthy tree population in the future, one option to consider is “back-planting.” This forward-thinking approach can help reduce the pushback often experienced when tree removals are discussed, planned or performed.

Back-planting is a strategy where you plant a desired tree or trees near planned removals and give them time to grow. As the replacement trees mature, removals can be completed gradually or all at once. With a replacement already in place, the impact on course appearance is lessened – especially when compared to removing all the trees and then planting relatively small new ones. When deciding how many trees to back-plant, consideration should be given to the impact on turf health and playability as they mature. A few larger trees can usually replace many smaller trees that were crowded together. It should also be noted that back-planting is not always the right approach. There are certainly situations where tree removal without any replacement is best for turf health and playability.


Managing the tree population on a golf course requires careful planning, investing every year to keep up with routine maintenance, and patience. In reality, most of the decisions around trees – especially plantings – are for the benefit of future golfers. Back-planting where it is necessary can help create a smooth transition to a healthier and more functional tree population that will exist for the next 100 years or more. The USGA Green Section offers a Tree Evaluation Visit through our Course Consulting Service that can help with this type of long-term planning. If you are interested in learning more about how this visit can be structured for your course, reach out to your regional USGA agronomist.

Central Region Agronomists:

Zach Nicoludis, regional director – znicoludis@usga.org

Tom Gould, agronomist – tgould@usga.org

Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service

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