18 | September/October 2015
Cemetarians Learn Value
of Proper Tree Care
The 18 attendees in Davey's class titled
"Increasing the Value of Your Cemetery
Landscape Through Proper Tree Establishment
and Maintenance" helped plant a tree at
Notre Dame's Cedar Grove Cemetery.
C
atholic cemeterians learned how to boost
their cemetery landscape for ultimate
benefits during a new Davey class at the annual
2015 Catholic Cemetery Conference School
of Leadership and Management Excellence.
Davey arborists conducted a two-part
presentation titled "Increasing the Value of
Your Cemetery Landscape Through Proper
Tree Establishment and Maintenance," which
taught 18 cemetarians valuable tree care
lessons for the indoors and outdoors. The
class occurred on the prestigious University
of Notre Dame campus.
During the indoor sessions, R.J. Laverne,
manager of education and training at the
Davey Institute, taught attendees how to
identify two types of trees: asset trees and
liability trees. Laverne says asset trees provide
valuable benefits to the cemetery, whereas
liability trees pose risks and carry the potential
to cost cemetery managers excess money.
After indoor sessions, three Davey employ-
ees, including Brian Borkowicz, Don Roppolo
and Mark Noark, took students on a journey
to Notre Dame's Cedar Grove Cemetery for
hands-on lessons to teach attendees the right
way to plant, prune and mulch.
"The ability to recognize a proper pruning
cut from a bad one, or the application of
too much mulch, is important for cemetery
managers when evaluating landscaping staff
or subcontractors," Borkowicz says. He is
a regional sales developer for north central
operations, R/C services.
The students also helped plant a new cedar
tree Davey donated on the Cedar Grove
Cemetery grounds. Borkowicz says students
learned the gamut of tree care lessons, from the
proper depth to dig a hole for new tree plantings
to how to pick the right tree for the right place.
"They learned how to get the most out of
the many benefits trees have to offer visitors
at their respective cemeteries," Borkowicz says.
"In the end, the participants walked away with
a whole new appreciation for their trees."
