Davey Tree Flipbooks

July/August 2015 | 15 W hen it comes to tree care industry professions, a little hands-on experience can go a long way. For the past six years, Mark Noark, manager of recruiting and training, and Josh Behounek, urban forestry coordinator for Davey Resource Group (DRG), have organized a tree climbing demonstration at the University of Missouri for Arbor Day. "When I first moved to the area," Behounek explains, "the university did not have a strong urban forestry presence. Now, we're trying to demonstrate how offering more urban forestry classes can help more students obtain jobs post-graduation." Behounek would have loved to climb a tree and learn what urban forestry is all about prior to deciding his career path. Although he loves his field, his philosophy is, "Urban forestry programs are more likely to have increased participation if students have the opportunity to climb a tree during four years of college"— before they begin working fulltime. Before the event, Behounek helps the university grounds staff identify a few trees for the demonstration. He and Noark help students climb up the trees during the demonstrations —approximately 20 students working on forestry-related degrees attended this year. As students mingle with Behounek and Noark, they learn it's possible to work close to home with an urban forestry degree. "You can live and/or work in the city and also work out- side," Behounek explains, adding the outdoor hobbies he enjoyed in college, such as rock climbing, tree climbing and camping, influenced his desire to someday spend his professional career outdoors. "We need more and better students working in the urban forestry field," Behounek says. "This type of event shows students the oppor- tunities available after earning that degree." For example, you can climb trees, work in utility consulting and complete tree inventories. And, according to Behounek, when students have the opportunity to "actually touch a rope" and then use it to climb a tree, they may realize, "'Hey, I can do this as a profession." Arbor Day Hits College Campus Idea submitted by: Dan Yoho, district manager, Youngstown R/C This April, Kent State University – Salem's Horticulture Club celebrated Arbor Day with an honored guest—Dan Yoho, district manager of Davey's Youngstown R/C office—who was invited to answer tree-related questions. "The event was a great way to generate interest in trees," Yoho says. Yoho stood at a Davey booth in the lobby of the main building on campus, where students walked through between classes. He says students visited the booth and asked questions—many concerning plant and tree infestations, such as emerald ash borer. Students also participated in proper tree climbing demonstrations outside. This was Davey's first experience coordinating an Arbor Day event on KSU's Salem campus, which created a great connection to the school. "Trees are such an important part of our ecosystem," Yoho says. "It was an enjoyable experience talking to students." Eye-Opening Tree Climbs Mark Noark (right) helps a University of Missouri student climb a tree during a tree climbing demonstration on campus.

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