Why the 105th anniversary of DITS merited
the program's largest class—ever.
I
t's more than a classroom full of tree girls
and guys talking everything from pests,
diseases and treatments to climbing, cabling
and knots.
It's more than the interactive outdoor
sessions students spend with instructors during
one of Northeast Ohio's coldest months of
the year.
And it's more than the relentless studying,
memorizing and testing they experience
during their four weeks of intensive training.
It's the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences
(DITS), and it's been around for 105 years.
"It's really cool to be part of a long-standing
tradition," points out Miles Peart, sales
arborist from Davey Canada's Toronto West
R/C office.
In addition to presenting more information
about tree care services and techniques,
DITS exposed attending employees to
several other service lines and locations,
from residential/commercial, utility, surgery,
Davey Resource Group and Davey Canada to
The Care of Trees, Hartney Greymont and
recent acquisitions, including S&S Tree and
Horticultural Specialists. "I've always been in
residential/commercial, so it was interesting
to learn about different service lines," says
Russell Holman, plant health care specialist
for Hartney Greymont. "I was exposed to
other parts of the country as well—these
connections can benefit the company."
Chad Gregg, foreman from Davey's
West Cleveland R/C office, agrees. "The
knowledge will always be there," he says,
"but the people and the friendships you
make at DITS are things you can't replace."
Nearly 60 employees from areas all over
the U.S. and Canada attended DITS this year
—the largest session yet. But perhaps the
crammed classrooms at the Davey Institute
benefited the long-term friendships that would
ultimately ensue from DITS.
"We're all together, all of the time,"
explains Jason Hipp, plant health care coor-
dinator from The Care of Trees' Gaithersburg
office. "It's fun—the people are always
interesting to meet and we all come from
different backgrounds and are able to share
our experiences."
As Peart says, "There are vice presidents
who went through DITS together more than
20 years ago. I'm looking forward to sharing
those same memories 20 years from now."
May/June 2014 | 5
Carlos (Alex) Valera and Andrew Roth (pictured left to right, front row)
and Ryan McCarthy and Nick Dios (pictured left to right, back row)
watch as magician Jason Alan shares magic tricks with DITS students.
