Davey Tree Flipbooks

9 March/April 2021 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN "The crew members are dealing with brittle and dead standing trees," Crites said. "They scrutinize each situation because the inside structure of some of these trees is not safe. It's all about making an accurate assessment of these trees. When you see 30 to 40 exit holes within a four-foot trunk, you know this tree is not going to be safe to climb." Eastern Utility sent a travel crew with nine full-time employees to help with the tree removals. Bill Van Cura, vice president of utility operations, Atlantic, said the challenging part of the work is the terrain, especially the wetland areas. "The guys are wearing chest waders and wading through these wetland areas to get to some of these trees, drag the brush and pull the wood out," Van Cura said. "But, the crew Researchers from Clemson University, the U.S. Forest Service and USDA APHIS are working with Davey to remove 37 trees from the Stono River County Park in Charleston. The trees removed in February 2021 are part of a project to learn more about how ALB populations grow and spread. Data generated from this project may improve our ability to predict how fast ALB spreads, which can increase the efficacy of management strategies. CLEMSON UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH DAVEY FOR ALB RESEARCH Meredith Bean, student, collecting data. Bean is working with lead researcher Dr. David R. Coyle, assistant professor, Forest Health and Invasive Species, Department of Forestry and Environmental conservation at Clemson University. This is her thesis project. Photo Credit: Dr. David R. Coyle members love working on this project, because they aren't doing the same thing every day and they welcome the challenges." When it comes to the public's perception of the project, Joyner said the homeowners and the community have been supportive of their efforts. "I think the USDA and Clemson did a great job ahead of time getting the word out about what is going on. There are billboards up around in the quarantine area and the property owners we've talked to know what is happening," Joyner said. "We've had widespread support in the community and that's helped make the job easier as well. Our client has been great to work for and they are dedicated to their mission." Far Left: Trees are scheduled for removal after APHIS visits properties where there have been confirmed ALB infested trees. Davey removes those trees, properly deregulates them, and disposes of the material. Davey works with each property owner and explains what is being done and comes up with a plan to remove those trees safely. Left: This photo is an example of some of the wetlands the crews are removing trees in. Wood debris must be deregulated within 24 hours, which means the brush must be chipped or run through a tub grinder. The crews make strategic choices with the trees they remove to meet this deadline.

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