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March/April 2021
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
The calming peace of nature has been brought into the
rooms of hospice patients thanks to the collaborative
effort of Davey Resource Group Canada (DRG) and the
Hamilton Residential office.
After it's completed, balconies in each room of the new
St. Margaret's Place Hospice at St. Joseph's Villa in
Hamilton, Ontario, will open directly to protected
greenspace of trees so patients can be wheeled out in
their beds to enjoy the view.
Nick Lawson, consulting arborist, DRG Canada, knows
the Villa well. He's been a supporter of the facility since
family members were there years ago. Knowing Lawson
worked as an arborist, Don Davidson, president and
CEO of the St. Joseph's Villa Foundation, reached out
to him for a consultation at the property, which was
undergoing renovations.
A crew from the Hamilton office, led by Chris Deathe,
district manager, did some tree removal and pruning
PROVIDING AN END OF LIFE VIEW
around the facility, and several species, including a mature
butternut, were designated as protected species and
preserved. A wooden eagle carved by a former Davey
employee, which had been a decoration at the Hamilton
office, was placed as a focal point in a pruned white pine
outside the facility.
"We really thought about the experience these elders
would have here, especially during such a challenging time
in their lives. We asked ourselves what they'd want to share
with family members who visited, so we wanted to give
them a talking point out in the forest," Deathe said.
Left: Construction on the patio space where hospice patients can
become immersed in the conservation space.
Middle: The mature butternut tree, a protected species in Canada,
is framed by the glass walls of the hospice facility lobby.
Right: The carved wooden eagle was installed onto a pruned white
pine just outside the hospice windows.
While working at a property in
downtown Victoria, British Columbia,
a crew from the Victoria Residential
office was approached by a
representative of the Scouts Canada
hall directly next door about removing
a 40-year-old plum tree on their
property. Shannon Murray, plant health
care technician, arranged for Fraser
Clark, foreman, to complete the work
for free because the crew already had
a bucket truck parked in the shared
PLUM REMOVAL FOR CANADIAN SCOUT HALL
driveway. The purple plum tree was
near power lines, had extensive root
rot and needed to come down, said
Daniel Sharp, district manager.
"When an opportunity comes up
where we can help out, we volunteer,"
Sharp said. "These plum trees were
planted all around the city and now
they're all having problems, so this
is something good we can do to help
our community."
