Davey Tree Flipbooks

35 March/April 2022 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN COMMUNITY LEADER EXCELS AT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP Davey retiree Ken Christensen spent 22 years of service at Davey starting with tree inventories. He later added wetland delineation, AutoCAD mapping, and stream and wetland restoration before retiring in 2020. These days, he's at the gym at 5 a.m. to weight train and hit the treadmill. "It's a nice way to start the day," Christensen said. Christensen and his wife, Heather, live on 10 acres in Rootstown, Ohio. The property includes a 300-foot section of Breakneck Creek. Seven acres of the property consist of lowland woods, wetlands, and forest. "Trees, wetlands, and streams were part of my work at Davey and are still a part of our home," he said. "We dubbed our homestead 'Wet Acres.'" "We've planted native trees and shrubs on our property, including bald cypress, Kentucky coffee tree, American tamarack, red cedar, arborvitae, white pine, swamp white oak, pin oak, bur oak, black gum, paw paw, redbud, serviceberry, river birch, American basswood, and number of others. We've also been planting lots of native perennial pollinator species, such as asters, goldenrods, and milkweeds. We have a couple of honeybee hives that appreciate all the flowers, too," Christensen said. As for pets, Christensen has a seven-foot-long Vietnamese blue beauty rat snake. He enjoys photography, gardening, birdwatching, hiking, woodworking, and home remodeling projects. "We installed 36 solar panels on our house. We've also replaced all our gas equipment, such as the snow blower, mower, blowers, and chainsaw with electric Retirees! Have stories to share about retirement or your life at Davey? To be featured, or to nominate a fellow retiree, call 800-447-1667 ext. 8615 or email bulletin@davey.com. ADVICE FROM KEN CHRISTENSEN: 1. Buy Davey stock. It has done well. You're working for a great company, and by buying stock, you're part of that success. 2. Give back through volunteer work that interests you. 3. Don't be afraid to speak up and push for ideas that make sense to improve the way things are done. 4. For retirees, if you see a need, share your tree knowledge. RETIREE CORNER Above: Volunteers wrap up a portion of the Portage Park District's 30th anniversary tree planting by installing tree tubes at sunset. The blue tree tubes are designed to protect the newly planted tree seedlings from deer browse, accelerate early growth, and create a beneficial microclimate to aid in seedling survival. Davey retiree Ken Christensen, who took this photo, is actively involved in the Park District's planting efforts. and battery-powered versions," Christensen said. Winner of the Portage Park District's 2021 Environmental Conservation Award for Environmental Stewardship, Christensen stays active by volunteering in the community. Last year, the Portage Park District celebrated their 30th anniversary by planting 30,000 trees over 30 acres. Christensen helped with some of the installation by planting native oak, maple, willow, hickory species, sycamore, tuliptree and elm trees in the new Trail Lake Park, and Morgan Preserve, both of which are popular parks within the park district. Ken Christensen

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