Davey Tree Flipbooks

25 March/April 2021 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN IS YOUR CHILD PLANNING FOR COLLEGE? Applications are now being accepted for the Davey Tree Family Scholarship program. The program aims to assist qualified dependents of Davey employees in pursuing post high school education. To be eligible, candidates must be a child or dependent of an active employee of The Davey Tree Expert Company or one of its subsidiaries. Candidates in the U.S. must attend or plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year undergraduate institution, or an accredited trade, vocational, technical, or career college, university, or institution either full or part-time. Candidates in Canada must be enrolled in a qualifying education program. Selection criteria will consist of academic potential, demonstrated work ethic, extracurricular activities and financial need. Award amounts will consist of $2,000, $1,500 or $1,000 scholarships to be used for any educational expense. All awards will be paid directly to the educational institution. Scholarships will also be renewable. Application requirements consist of an essay answering the questions: "Why did you choose your field of study, and what would receiving a scholarship mean to you?" A resume, two letters of recommendation, an educational transcript and a form demonstrating financial need will also be required. Deadline to apply is June 25, 2021. Applications can be submitted online on the Columbus Foundation website: https://columbusfoundation.org/# All questions can be referred to Heather Micozzi at heather.micozzi@davey.com or 330-673-9515 ext. 8301. DID YOU KNOW? TCI VIRTUAL SUMMIT PRESENTERS The 2021 Tree Care Industry Association's (TCIA) annual summit was held virtually in January. Davey was represented through two main schedule presentations and three mini sessions hosted outside the main schedule. Wood Fungi and Line Safety Chrissy Balk, technical advisor, the Davey Institute, presented "Identification and Importance of Wood Decay Fungi." Wood decay fungi are all around us and they don't follow rules and, therefore, do not take the safety of arborists into consideration, Balk said. The presentation was "a guide to identifying fungal fruiting bodies and their importance, especially in the urban environment." Using those identification skills, Balk pointed out key wood decay fungi, which can be beneficial to the environment but can also cause hazardous trees. Tim Walsh, director, corporate safety, presented on changes to the electrical hazards section of the safety regulations listed in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z133 standards. In 2017, changes were made to the ANSI sections relating to the minimum safe distance rules for tree care crews working around utility lines. Walsh said many crews across the industry have struggled with the interpretation of those standards, so he has been giving presentations to industry groups like TCIA to clarify some of the common misinterpretations.The goal is to educate and help keep tree care crews working around utility lines safe. "This presentation wasn't intended to be an interpretation of the standard or a substitution for the standard itself," Walsh said. "It's meant to be an overview of some of the changes that have been causing confusion for a lot of people in the industry." Mini Sessions Davey also hosted three mini sessions on Zoom in-between the regularly scheduled TCI agenda items. In a presentation titled "Becoming an Arborist," Don Roppolo, manager of arboriculture training, walked the audience of mostly students through his career in arboriculture, from an "Introduction to Forestry" class in college to his current role at Davey. He also outlined several career paths in the industry that don't involve leaving the ground while still performing tree care. Balk also discussed Davey's use of new technology to address scientific tree care concerns in a presentation titled, "The World of Sonic Tomography: A Dive into the Picus." The Picus is a device that measures sound waves to detect cavities within larger trees. Dan Herms, vice president of research and development, the Davey Institute, presented "Climate Change and Arboriculture: As Earth Warms, Trees Feel the Heat," which discussed climate change and its effects on trees, such as increased frequency of wildfires, changes in precipitation, migration of pest populations, and other impacts on the tree care industry. He also discussed the value of trees for mitigating effects of climate change and strategies for selecting trees to plant for a future climate. Don Roppolo Dan Herms Tim Walsh Chrissy Balk

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