The Davey Tree Expert Company
P.O. Box 5193
Kent, Ohio 44240-5193
FROM THE ARCHIVES – FATHER OF TREE SURGERY
The environmentalist movement in North America was still in
its adolescence when John Davey planted the seed that would
grow into The Davey Tree Expert Company.
Davey first conceived of the idea that trees could be cared for
and kept in good health through curative processes in 1880.
Over the next 20 years, John conducted careful research into
his tree care methods – many of which would go on to earn
U.S. patents – that culminated in 1901 with the publishing of
his book The Tree Doctor.
His book The Tree Doctor educated readers not just on the need to
care for all trees, but John's book also explained how to properly
care for shade trees. Prior to publication of The Tree Doctor at the
turn of the century, most literature on tree care pertained largely
to fruit tree yields for their value in agricultural production.
Many other environmental organizations and movements were
yet to blossom. The U.S. Forest Service was founded four years
later in 1905, as was the National Audubon Society. The National
Park Service would not be founded until 1916. Organizations
such as The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace
and The Nature Conservancy were decades away still.
Demand for tree care and preservation exploded after The Tree
Doctor published, starting on the East Coast and sweeping west
across the U.S. and Canada. It helped earn John the nickname
"Father of Tree Surgery."
Prior to Davey, one of the most successful environmental
preservation accomplishments was led by John Muir, who
helped establish Yosemite National Park as America's first
national park in 1872 and founded The Sierra Club in 1892.
American Forests, founded in 1875, preceded the Sierra Club.
The Davey Tree Expert Company is North America's oldest and
largest tree care company, thanks to the "Father of Tree Surgery."
John Davey 1846-1923
John Davey's headstone at Standing Rock
Cemetery in Kent, Ohio, bears his nickname
"Father of Tree Surgery."
