12
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
July/August 2020
LEADERSHIP
Before the COVID-19 lockdown, Brice Kundinger, supervisor,
CP Rail, Eastern Utility services, visited his alma mater of
Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin to help provide
a realistic, hands-on treecare scenario for students using
non-energized utility power lines.
Kundinger, along with Jon Rahm, trimmer, Wisconsin
Cooperative account, took a bucket truck to Mid-State's
Arboricultural Day for the daylong vegetation management
training. After completing a safety briefing and walkaround
of the truck, students harnessed up and climbed into the
bucket. Equipped with hand and stick saws, the students
trimmed limbs around the "dead" lines, all while ensuring
minimal approach distances.
"Events like this help to instill the safety culture and values
that set Davey apart in the industry. It also helps expose
students to what Davey has to offer outside the classroom,"
Kundinger said.
A Mid-State Technical College student up in a Davey bucket truck.
Brice Kundinger and Joe Hoffman, Mid-State Instructor, contacted
the local utility to ensure the lines were deenergized and had students
sign liability waivers ahead of the training.
TRAINING STUDENTS ON MINIMUM APPROACH DISTANCES
Employees from the East Bay R/C
office had quite a memorable team
building experience. It's not every day
that you get to climb a 1,000-year-old
tree, especially an old growth redwood.
"It was a fun thing to do in appreciation
of my crews," said Joe Berg, district
manager. "A lot of my employees like
to climb and are passionate about
their work. The thrill of climbing and
Before climbing, the employees conducted
safety training to familiarize themselves with
the gear. As they made their way up the tree,
they learned about the ecology, biology and
life history of old growth redwoods. At the top
of the tree, they enjoyed views of the Pacific
Ocean through the ancient canopy.
A DAY AMONG THE GIANTS
simply existing in the canopy of an
old growth tree is really beyond words,
and this is an experience I wanted to
share with them."
Berg learned about this opportunity
to climb the redwoods while taking a
recreational tree climbing course from
Tim Kovar, founder of Tree Climbing
Planet, which is a company founded
on reconnecting people to trees. Kovar
set up this excursion for the East Bay
office at a privately owned grove of
redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Berg encourages other Davey
managers to find interesting
opportunities to inspire their employees.
"When we connect with our team
outside of normal work duties, we see
more enthusiasm and engagement at
work," Berg said. "All of us were a lot
closer after the trip and having this
experience outside our professional
roles enabled us to rediscover our
passion for trees, which is really why
we do what we do in the first place."
