Leading international exhibition for sports turf professionals helps create wildlife habitat at Harrogate Golf Club with the planting of a new ‘community woodland’
Staff from the British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association joined the greenkeepers and members at Harrogate Golf Club recently to plant a 'community woodland', comprising more than 200 trees donated by exhibitors at the upcoming BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).


BTME is due to take place at the Harrogate Convention Centre
from 24 to 26 January and is recognised as among the most
influential events on the UK golfing calendar, with more than 5,000
golf greenkeepers and turf professionals in attendance.
High on the agenda each year is sustainability and the increasing
importance of environmentally friendly practices on golf courses,
particularly with the annual Golf Environment Awards taking place
in Harrogate concurrent to the trade show.
Overall, British golf courses cover an area roughly equivalent to
the whole of Greater Manchester and provide wide-ranging habitats
including wetlands, wildflower areas and woodland. Countless
forward-thinking golf clubs around the UK are now undertaking
activities that boost their environmental credentials and the team
at BIGGA, as the UK's only membership association for golf
greenkeepers, wanted to do their bit.
When booking their spot at the 2023 exhibition, supporting
companies were invited to 'Plant a Tree for BTME' and it is hoped
that over the years sufficient trees will be planted to create a
network of 'BTME community woodlands' around the UK, with Harrogate
Golf Club the first to participate in the scheme.
BIGGA is extremely grateful to those exhibitors who have
participated in the scheme, with Reesink UK purchasing 100 trees,
Aquatrols purchasing 50 and The FairWays Foundation purchasing 20.
Other contributors included: Advance Grass Solutions; Bernhard and
Company; Campey Turf Care Systems; COMPO Expert; East Riding
Turfcare; EVEN Products; GreenBest/Velvit; LFP Civil &
Environmental Engineering; Redlynch Leisure; Shelton Sportsturf
Drainage; and The Double A Trading Company.
James Hutchinson is Membership Services Manager - Ecology &
Sustainability at BIGGA and is considered one of the UK's leading
authorities on golf course ecology. James said: "Plant a Tree for
BTME is a wonderful scheme and I'm delighted that so many
exhibitors purchased saplings, which we have planted at Harrogate
Golf Club. This is such a brilliant idea because trees sequestrate
carbon in the soil, meaning we are able to offset some of the
carbon that is generated at BTME.
"Not only that, but trees create wonderful habitats for the great
British wildlife. Golf clubs are often overlooked by the general
public, but they provide priceless habitats for countless species,
often forming safe zones for wildlife to thrive in urban areas.
Harrogate Golf Club is a fantastic example and the addition of
these silver birch, downy birch, rowan and cherry trees will create
outstanding habitats for years to come."
Ken Ward is Head Greenkeeper at Harrogate Golf Club and said: "I
was thrilled when James asked us if we would like to take part in
the Plant a Tree for BTME scheme. We are very much about ecology
and sustainability at Harrogate GC and creating new wildlife
habitat by planting trees is very much in line with the ethos of
the club.


"Harrogate Golf Club is hugely appreciative of BIGGA and all the
exhibitors who contributed to this scheme as it is such a
worthwhile cause, not only for us but also for our kids,
grandchildren and future generations."
Lauren Frazer, Head of Business Development at BIGGA, said: "We're
committed to making Plant a Tree for BTME a fixture on the BTME
calendar and I'm hopeful that next year we'll be planting even more
trees at another brilliant golf club and once again highlighting
the vital work golf greenkeepers do to support the wider
environment.
"Thank you to all of those who contributed to this wonderful scheme
and I'm really looking to seeing all our exhibitors and the
attendees at BTME in just a few short weeks."
For more information about BTME 2023, head to www.btme.org.uk