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March/April 2020
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THE DAVEY BULLETIN
Below: Instructors conduct a climbing exercise outside the Davey Institute during the
2020 session of D.I.T.S.
GOLDEN OAK WINNER
Peter Boehm, center, shows off
the D.I.T.S. 2020 Golden Oak Award
with Davey Chairman, President
and CEO Pat Covey, left, and
Jim Zwack, vice president and
general manager, the Davey
Institute, right. This prestigious
award is presented to one D.I.T.S.
student each year who accumulates
the highest amount of points on
all assignments throughout the
program. Boehm is a foreman at
the South St. Paul office.
FACULTY AWARD WINNERS
Ryan Foytik, left, and Luke Jones,
right, received the D.I.T.S. Faculty
Award at the 2020 D.I.T.S. banquet
from R.J. Laverne, manager of
education and training, the Davey
Institute, center. The Faculty
Award is presented to the D.I.T.S.
participants who best exemplify the
spirit of seeking knowledge and the
willingness to share that knowledge
with others. Foytik is a foreman at
the South Chicago office and Jones
is a senior supervisor on the Duke
Energy South-Central account.
all, I just want my crews to be more safety focused and aware of the
trees they're working with."
For Allie Buchanan, district manager, Windsor, Ontario office, the most
challenging part was branching out and connecting with other students in the
class. Once she did, her comprehension of the subjects got a little boost.
"I've learned so much from the others. It's amazing being around people that
are like-minded and passionate about not just Davey but the industry," she said.
Buchanan said there were gaps in her arboriculture knowledge that have now
been filled thanks to the technical sciences taught at D.I.T.S.
"I've learned more about tree anatomy and explaining why we're doing the
things we're doing," she said. "Everyone knows proper pruning techniques
and why we make notches in the tree and how to do it. But sometimes that
explanation gets lost when we're out training in the field and on site."
It will be a challenge explaining weeks of information to the people back home,
she said. But, starting with small-group sessions, she plans to educate her
office about what she's learned. And she hopes to get more Canadians involved
with D.I.T.S. next year.
In the end the students agreed that D.I.T.S. was about learning from each other
as much as it was learning from the instructors.
"You bring this big group of people together and everyone has something in
common, something they can relate to and that sparks their interest," said Foytik.
"There's so much experience in such a small group, and to be able to share that
both in the classroom and outside, it's cool connecting what you're doing for
your job and what you enjoy doing."
