Davey Tree Flipbooks

20 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | November/December 2024 The inside of the climbing training center at the Davey SEED (Science, Employee Education and Development) Campus has served as a staging area for construction materials, as Ruhlin Construction continues to build the interior of the building. The center will house a metal climbing structure designed to teach Davey employees how to climb in a low stress, controlled environment that allows trainees to become profi cient at the fundamentals, as well as more complex climbing and rigging scenarios. LEADERSHIP Above: A two-wire irrigation system using a Baseline control system manages 107 sprinkler heads in the golf area. Three golf putting greens with adjoining tee boxes, fairways and roughs were constructed this summer at the SEED Campus to provide opportunities for employees to learn how to maintain different aspects of golf courses, and for the Davey Institute to conduct golf surface maintenance research. Training curriculum is in the development phase, but employees will potentially be instructed on how to mow putting greens, change cups, manage irrigation, and more, said Geoff Blind, superintendent, grounds management, Davey SEED Campus. "Instruction at the golf area could be paired with time spent at the maintenance shop reviewing different types of golf mowers and their applications," Blind said. "Employees could learn to operate mowers and sprinklers. It has huge potential." The overall concept of the SEED golf area was research-oriented, as the holes were built to study how to maintain the highest play conditions possible with the least amount of maintenance inputs, said Zane Raudenbush, turfgrass and herbicide specialist, Davey Institute. "That is a trend that has developed recently in the golf industry," Raudenbush said. Specifi c soil mixtures and turf varieties were installed and are being studied to see if they can provide optimal conditions with less irrigation, fungicides and fertilizers. Soil moisture and temperature levels are monitored by in-ground sensors. Fungicide application methods and autonomous mowing equipment may all be part of the golf area research. GOLF TRAINING AND RESEARCH More than a dozen wooden utility poles were installed at the SEED Campus by Davey Resource Group Utility Asset Management crews. The poles will constitute a non-energized utility right-of-way, so Davey employees can learn about work related to Davey's Utility services operations. Power lines and other utility energy infrastructure—all non-energized—will be attached to the poles. Inset: This design rendering of the metal climbing structure shows the portion using "modtruss" that will be erected in the climbing training center at the Davey SEED Campus. The structure was designed by ENSA, a work-at-height training and safety organization, with input from Davey. The metal structure will serve as the hub of Davey's climbing training programs conducted at SEED. This rendering shows what the system may look like, as the structure design is close to being fi nalized. SEED CAMPUS UPDATE Three separate putting greens were oriented around different tee boxes to provide approaches to the greens so the holes can be played from a variety of angles. The holes will be open to all Davey employees to play on.

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