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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
May/June 2018
FROM THE ARCHIVES
JOHN DAVEY ELM WAS LIVING LIBRARY
Cavity filling and repair, a bygone
practice of the Davey Tree surgeon,
was a popular method of addressing
decay in trees during the early
to mid-20th century as a means
to prolong the life of a client's
beloved tree.
Like a dentist, tree surgeons would
carve out the decay in a trunk while
carefully preserving the remaining
healthy tissue. They then used a
special concrete, and sometimes
bracing rods and bolts, to fill the cavity.
The tree would compartmentalize the
wound and continue growing with
the support of the cavity, thus
reducing the likelihood of a failure
and increasing its lifespan.
In 1930, Davey executives ingeniously
used the cavity repair method to turn
an elm tree, planted to memorialize
John Davey, into a time capsule.
The memorial tree, planted on the
grounds of what is today Davey Ele-
Above left: A large crowd of mostly
Davey sales arborists and D.I.T.S. students
gathered on March 5, 1930, to dedicate
the John Davey Memorial Elm in Kent.
Above right: A copy of "The Tree Doctor"
is inserted into a cavity in the John Davey
Memorial Elm tree. From left were
Paul Davey, Harry Withington, Chris
Scherer, Perry Hudson, Charles L. May,
Ray Hunter and M.L. Davey, Sr.
Middle: A Davey employee cares for
plantings around the base of the John
Davey Memorial Elm tree. The cavity
is visible where "The Tree Doctor" was
inserted in the trunk.
Bottom right: Davey employees
Brandon Espinoza, Kyle Smedi and
Emilio Trejo helped create the new patio
space behind the corporate office, which
incorporates the original stone marker
from the John Davey Memorial Elm.
mentary School in Kent, had
a copy of Davey's famous book
"The Tree Doctor" encased in lead
and then encapsulated within the
memorial elm tree.
Davey crews transplanted the tree,
about 50 feet tall and 15 inches in
diameter, from a location about 3 miles
west of the school. A crowd of about
500 gathered for the dedication on
March 5, 1930, which included sealing
the book inside.
Sadly, Davey crews removed the tree
in January 1971 because it fell victim
to Dutch elm disease. A large boulder
and plaque that commemorated the
dedication of the tree was relocated
and now stands on the Davey
corporate campus back patio.
The copy of "The Tree Doctor" that
was encased within the tree survived
unscathed, but its location today
is unknown.
