Davey Tree Flipbooks

B oardom" has struck Davey's Natascha Batchelor. The district manager from Davey's Cape Cod R/C office has not only recently served on the Cape Cod Landscape Association's (CCLA) Board of Directors for two and a half years, but she's also entering her third year as a board member for the Massachusetts Arborist Association (MAA). "These are good experiences to have," Batchelor says. CCLA, a non-profit trade association, serves individuals and businesses working in and involved with the green industry on Cape Cod and in southeastern Massachusetts. "I've been the executive director for 15 years, and Natascha was, by far, the most valuable member to ever serve on the board," Executive Director Diane Johnson says. "She has such knowledge of the industry and other organizations from serving on other boards. She really took it upon herself to improve our board and how it runs." In 2013, Batchelor ran CCLA's professional educational seminars, which represent a portion of the most significant component CCLA offers—education and training. As a member of a very active board, Batchelor also helped recruit speakers for CCLA's monthly meetings, as well as plan its annual golf tournament, which raises funds for scholarships to students enrolled in green industry-related programs or whose parents are members of CCLA. Batchelor's involvement with MAA, a cor- nerstone of Massachusetts' professional tree care industry, slightly mirrors the experiences she has contributed to with CCLA. While the MAA Board of Directors also meets each month, in addition to the dinner gatherings and safety days its members attend, the organi- zation also coordinates an educational program for community residents. Batchelor has helped run the MAA booth for a massive trade show, as well as recruit the Davey Institute's Richard Rathjens to speak during events. From contributing to the education of green industry enthusiasts on Cape Cod to performing tree services at a cooperative tree farm, there's no doubt Batchelor takes pride in the value of her experiences on the boards of these two local organizations. She also thanks them for supporting and developing her tree care industry career. What It Takes To Be the "Most Valuable Member" May/June 2014 | 21 I t's been nearly 10 years since Davey's Dan Howse has been involved with landscape architecture—and he's been missing it. Howse has been a licensed landscape architect in Pennsylvania since 2001, and thanks to lots of studying, Howse has now earned his registration in California. During his career working for a large firm in Philadelphia, he worked on projects across the country, but this time he'll be focusing mainly on the West Coast. Howse, Landscape Architect for Davey Resource Group, western region, helps manage and plan projects, field work and more, but now he'll also be able to develop official commercial landscape drawings on his own for projects based in California. "I've worked on many projects in the past in California but have never had to seal drawings on my own," Howse says, explaining his manager, Jack McCabe, had asked him to also earn his PLA license in the state. As he studied for the California supplemental exam, Howse realized California boasts several environmental ordinances PLA's must commit to memory. "A lot of studying was involved," he says. One of Howse's biggest challenges was remembering the state's variety of plant material and the plants' compatibility with one another. "To do the job right, landscape architects must understand the form and function of the plants within each geographic region we are working," he says. "Otherwise, you end up with trees planted under powerlines, over utilities, or plants that need large amounts of water or maintenance in an area where they will not receive either." Now that Howse is working with DRG's western region, he will likely produce many landscape drawings. "It will be interest- ing and fun to get back into design," he says. "I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to help every service line, if they need it." In addition to being licensed in Pennsylvania and California; Howse is also licensed to practice in Texas. A Full Circle Career Natascha Batchelor, district manager, Cape Cod R/C Dan Howse, landscape architect, DRG, western region ''

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