9
September/October 2018
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
BEECH LEAF DISEASE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
The mysterious beech leaf disease, which was first
detected in Ohio in 2012 and has no identified causal agent
yet, gave Davey's Anand Persad, manager, arboriculture
and plant sciences, the opportunity to present on
groundbreaking research into the disease.
Persad was one of several invited speakers at the 2018
Beech Leaf Disease Workshop at Cleveland Metroparks
Watershed Stewardship Center in May. Davey partnered
with the Metroparks to conduct research on beech trees
in the parks.
Persad said one aspect of Davey's research includes
trenching around smaller trees and treating select beech
trees within the parks with a potassium-based fertilizer to
see if it can both sustain the trees and help protect them
from the disease.
"If the research proves that this method works, then we
could have the beginnings of a Plant Health Care program
for beech trees with regard to this disease," Persad said.
Speakers and attendees at the two-day workshop came
from across the U.S. and included numerous state and
federal researchers and policymakers.
Kyle Speck treats a beech tree in the Cleveland Metroparks.
Jim Jenkins, senior project manager, Davey Resource Group
(DRG), worked with the North Detroit R/C office to provide
a tree climbing safety presentation for the Department of
Public Works (DPW) in Ferndale, Michigan.
The DRG natural resource consulting team in Michigan works
with the city of Ferndale on a four-phase tree inventory to
collect data for the DPW to promote their urban forest and
prioritize tree work. DRG has a second consulting contract
with the city through which Jenkins supplies various training
sessions, including tree climbing safety training.
"We are giving a baseline understanding of what tree
climbing involves, including the equipment and the safety
precautions in hopes that they might incorporate some
of those requirements into their requests for proposals,"
Jenkins said.
Josh Leo, district manager, and Jake Swearingen, sales
arborist, North Detroit R/C office, talked with the staff
about climbing and chainsaw safety.
"Jake has 17 years of climbing experience," Leo said.
"He was able to get it down to a practical level, at which
new climbers could understand it."
DRG provided instructional chainsaw and tree climbing safety to
employees of the city of Ferndale's Department of Public Works.
DRG PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL
SUPPORT FOR CLIENT
