Davey Tree Flipbooks

24 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | September/October 2022 EXPERTISE DRG GETS ACCEPTED FOR NEW DRONE FLIGHT WAIVER Davey Resource Group (DRG) is now one of the first arboriculture companies that has been granted a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Beyond Visual Line of Site (BVLOS) drone waiver, and one of less than 300 flight waivers currently approved in the U.S. At this time, up to 12 miles per flight has been approved by the FAA for DRG's newest fixed-wing mapping drone (Censys-Sentaero). Additional safety precautions, such as an onboard detect and avoid (DAA) sensor to automatically avoid air traffic or large birds while in flight and setting up a mission control station on site to monitor the drone during flight allows this drone to be flown beyond the pilot's line of sight and collect data much more quickly. DRG's previous FAA approval only allowed drones to be flown within the pilot's visual line of sight, which may be only up to a range of one mile at a time from the pilot during flight. "This waiver is important because it allows DRG to work more efficiently, ultimately cutting down costs for our clients," Rachel Miller, project manager and chief supervisor of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations for DRG, said. DRG has been approved for two of these waivers, which will be used for different projects throughout the year. The first project utilizing this waiver will be under way this September in North Carolina for coastal mitigation mapping. Additional BVLOS approvals include locations for Erie Metroparks in Ohio and Bear Valley Electric in California. DRG pilots during the Bear Valley Electric Comprehensive Aerial Visual/ Thermal Asset Inspection project. Pictured from left, back row, are Chris "Chip" Johnstone, Rachel Miller and Dan Hunt. From left, front row, are Jesse Callwood, Katharine Nicolato and Leah Morris. TREE RISK MANAGEMENT TOPIC AT GARDEN CONFERENCE Two employees represented Davey at the American Public Gardens Association's (APGA) annual conference in Portland, Oregon. Alex Julius, employee development and safety training specialist, Davey Institute, along with fellow instructors from the arboriculture field, spoke at APGA's pre-conference workshop, "Crash Course: Exploring Tree Risk Assessment Concepts with Public Gardens Teams." The attendees were from nationwide botanic gardens, arboreta, parks departments, and college campuses. Julius shared tree risk management terminology, provided key concepts around tree decay and biomechanics, and shared a case study of trees for the audience to assess and provide a risk rating. As an exhibitor representing Davey at the conference, Brian Borkowicz, manager of national accounts, Davey Business Development Team, answered attendees' questions about tree management planning. "Many of the conversations involved concerns over a gap in priority tree management planning. They were looking at Davey to help them in that capacity," Borkowicz said. From left, Alex Julius and Brian Borkowicz attend the American Public Gardens Association's annual conference, with "CommUNITY of Gardens" as this year's theme. Photo credit: Tom Bollinger Photography.

• Cover