Davey Tree Flipbooks

Davey's environmental policy, adopted in 2011, affirms our dedication to environmental awareness, accountability and stewardship. It offers assurances to stakeholders that Davey is lawfully compliant, committed to pollution prevention and focused on improvements that minimize risk. It also serves as a framework for evaluating environmental performance and setting goals. The policy incorporates the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Management System criteria and ISO 14001 standards. We continuously strive to improve our performance standards beyond compliance. Chemical Use We promote stewardship standards and next generation nutrients to better protect trees and landscapes that enhance the value of properties and overall health of the communities. We manage our chemical use to ensure safety for our employees, our clients and the environment. We aim to reduce chemical pesticide use by improving techniques that achieve further reductions in non-compliance instances and overall use. At Davey, we initiated various strategies to advance our pesticide reduction initiative: Davey Institute developed pest timing charts based on annual degree days and phenological data, which more effectively targets susceptible stages for pest management. Plant health care treatments increase plant vitality, which reduces the potential for certain insects and diseases. The Institute's research led to the use of horticultural oils during the growing season, thus reducing the need for traditional pesticides. Previously, oils were only used during the dormant season. The Institute developed a phosphorus-free Arbor Green PRO ® fertilizer formula in recognition of negative impacts excess phosphorus can have on our waterways and public health. Energy Management and Fleet Fuel Efficiency Managing our energy and fuel consumption effectively is paramount to Davey's business. We track our electricity, heating and fuel consumption as we make investments to increase efficiency throughout our operations and buildings. With nearly 6,500 vehicles in service, our fleet is a significant portion of our environmental footprint; therefore, we aim to purchase appropriate vehicles and tools that manage the productivity of the fleet more effectively. As a long-term goal, Davey will invest in higher-efficiency, alternative fuel trucks and heavy equipment. Waste Management, Wood Waste and Packaging At Davey, we believe in the responsible handling of waste generated from our operations. Where possible, we dispose of waste through source reduction and recycling. We are working toward a company-wide solution for comprehensive waste recycling and management. Wood waste for Davey is also a significant area of impact. We strive to achieve a 100 percent wood recycling rate across our operations by identifying alternative uses for discarded wood (such as mulch) and finding locations that recycle the wood, including alternative energy plants and recycling centers. We estimated in 2012 that our Residential and Commercial business achieved a 97 percent recycling rate. The remaining three percent was mostly due to regulated material. We continue to track our wood waste and plan to achieve further reductions by finding alternative solutions when local sustainable solutions are unavailable. 9

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