The Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek course was chosen as one of only four recipients, and the only golf course, of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s 2007 Building with Trees Award of Excellence.

The award recognized the efforts of The Daniel Island Co. to protect and preserve trees during design and construction of the course, which opened in 2006.

The Daniel Island Co. is the only developer to win two Building with Trees awards. The Daniel Island Club’s Beresford Creek Course, which was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2000, won the award in 2003. Ralston Creek was the only golf course to receive the award in 2007. The other three recipients are residential developments.

The developer and golf course architect Rees Jones began working two years before construction started on Ralston Creek to plan a course routing that would impact the minimum number of trees. Once construction was underway, crews transplanted 42 oak trees and some 100 pine trees to other parts of the course, according to Jeff Elliott, senior project manager and land planner. Some of the oaks were at least 60 years old and had trunks as large as 31 inches in diameter, requiring one of the nation’s largest tree spades to aid in the transplanting process.

“The National Arbor Day Foundation’s mission to plant, nurture and celebrate trees is one that we strongly believe in and are proud to support,” Elliott said. “We think trees significantly add to the Lowcountry character and aesthetics of the course.”

Criteria for the Arbor Day award include creativity and attention to protecting trees during planning, design and construction; planting and providing for long-term tree care; demonstrating a commitment to tree protection by having a certified tree-care professional on the development team; taking inventory of existing trees and using information to help preserve trees; and adherence to tree protection goals throughout the construction process.