An S&S Tree crewmember helps remove a
marked elm tree at an active soldier's home.
H
abitat for Humanity of Oakland
County, Michigan, knew just who
to call when it needed assistance removing
two large stumps from a property
undergoing renovation. Davey's North
Detroit R/C District Manager Mark
Witucki, Assistant District Manager Josh
Leo and Landscaper Bryan Williams
(pictured) offered their assistance and
volunteered to remove the stumps.
Crews Weren't Stumped on
Giving Back
Community Support for
an Overseas Resident
H
ow would you remove a tree if you were
out of the U.S. serving the nation? In
fact, a National Guardsman encountered that
situation when Plymouth, Minnesota, notified
him to remove a tree while he was overseas.
The city tagged an elm tree belonging to
Staff Sergeant Caesar Garcia for Dutch elm
disease and gave him 21 days to remove it.
Garcia contacted Plymouth Beyond the
Yellow Ribbon (PBTYR), a volunteer program
to support U.S. military service members,
which approached none other than S&S Tree
to complete the removal.
"We took a look at the tree and thought it
would be best to use a crane because of the
timing of the removal," says Sales Arborist
Mitch Bauer. "It went off without a hitch."
Bauer gathered Trimmer Trainees Persie
Robinson, Emily Feitl and Nick Sauser Monnig
to assist him with the 41-foot elm removal.
Now, Garcia can rest assured that his yard is
Dutch elm disease-free, even as he is overseas.
"It makes you feel good to give back to
people who are overseas and missing their
families," Bauer says. "It's nice to give back to
veterans and show the community you are not
afraid to help out."
Mitch Bauer (left) and District Manager Jay Maier (right) observe a tree marked
with Dutch elm disease that had 21 days to be removed.
Idea submitted by: Andrea Peet,
client experience coordinator, S&S Tree
volunteered his time to assist with the judging
of the day's events.
In addition to Suffron, the following
employees attended the competition and
assisted with the timing of the events: Victoria
District Manager Mark Logtenberg, Vancouver
District Manager Giuseppe Pagano, Nanaimo
District Manager Alan Joiner, Burnaby Sales
Arborist Kris McDonald and Western Canada
Regional Safety Specialist Walter McLean. Vic-
toria Foreman Cody Woelfle competed in the
competition and placed sixth overall.
As Logtenberg says, "We all get involved
with this event because we are so passionate
about tree climbing."
January/February 2015 | 11
