Davey Tree Flipbooks

July/August 2014 | 9 Outside and In Good Company F orget computers and video games. For kids, trees can be fun, too. Thanks to The Care of Trees, Lake Forest- area children and their families got to see just how fun trees can be during an Earth Day event called "The Play Out," a Chicago Wilderness' Leave No Child Inside initiative. "Families attend to celebrate the earth," explains David Horvath, sales arborist at The Care of Trees' Lake Bluff office. "It's a really nice event primarily focused on education." The Lake Forest Open Lands Association (OLA) hosted "The Play Out" at the Mellody Farm Nature Preserve this year. From digging in the mud to exploring tree canopies, it's all fun, games and lots of learning for attendees. Since 2010, The Care of Trees' Lake Bluff office has coordinated a tree climbing station and a parallel rope bridge walk for children looking for an outdoor adventure. "Tree climbing is a big attraction at the event," says Horvath, who helps children secure their harnesses before ascending the tree. "The kids have a blast," he says, adding the youngest climber this year was only 3 years old. This year, Sales Arborists Pat Etherington and Loren Nagy, as well as District Manager Tom Ginnow, attended with Horvath to help coordinate The Care of Trees' activities. Office Coordinator Natia Barnett created a coloring book for children to take home. "As arborists, we're resources to help clients in the community but also in their own back- yards," Horvath says. Tree Lovers for Life W hen it comes to sharing the many benefits of trees and the importance of tree care, Davey and Holden Arboretum are in it together. This year, Davey sponsored Holden Arbo- retum's Arbor Day weekend, which began on Arbor Day with an educational lecture from Paul Meyer, president of Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. Throughout the weekend, visi- tors took advantage of free admission, which Holden Arboretum offers to reinforce the importance of trees. Ward Peterson, manager of urban resources for Davey Resource Group, attended Meyer's presentation. Holden Arboretum President and CEO Clem Hamilton asked Peterson to briefly speak on behalf of Davey's Arbor Day week- end sponsorship. "Together, we support all tree care," Peterson says. "We've worked with Holden on several projects for many years." From Davey retiree Homer (Red) Jacobs' volunteerism at Holden more than 50 years ago and Davey's research on maples with higher sugar concentration in the 1970s, the company's relationship with Holden has grown over many years. More recently, Holden collaborated with the Davey Institute for the Tree Biomechanics Research Week Symposium. Davey's Manager of Education and Training R.J. Laverne also advised high school students for the Trees Mat- ter Summit Holden hosted this spring. "Working with Holden is a huge plus for Davey," Peterson says. "We also provide them a lot of support in terms of promoting tree care and illustrating what it should look like. Holden benefits from Davey's expertise, and we get a museum of trees in our backyard in return." Digging & Demonstrating T ime spent outdoors with kids presents a perfect opportunity to teach them about trees. Students from Pattison Elementary School got to experience this with the help of Davey's Cincinnati R/C employees. Sixth grade students from the school spent a day in April digging to plant a new American hornbeam tree with District Manager Rick Hannah and Production Manager Steve Doller. "This is a fun event for the students," Hannah says. "I think they remember the event longer when they are physically involved." Davey has been involved with donating and planting a tree at Pattison Elementary School on Arbor Day for several years. "This has given them a nice collection of trees," Hannah says. "Several of the teachers involved continue to care for and water the trees." In addition to spending the day with students, Davey's Cincinnati R/C office also celebrated Arbor Day with the Boone County Arboretum. Hannah, with foremen Charles Miller, Paul Gaines and Robert Schwier, col- laborated with the director of the arboretum, Kristopher Stone, to plan an Arbor Day event, where three Davey employees performed two different demonstrations. The first activity included a presentation about the correct way to prune a tree, which Miller demonstrated on a live pin oak. The second demonstration was the planting of another American hornbeam tree. "We showed the audience the art and science of planting," Hannah explains. "Events like these result in good community relationships." A child observes the needles of a tree at Holden Arboretum. Davey Foreman Charles Miller demon- strates the correct way to prune a tree on Arbor Day at Boone County Arboretum. Tom Ginnow helps children gear up for a tree climbing activity. Arbor Day 2014

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