"Davey does everything to keep us safe, from orga-
nizing weekly trainings to obtaining better and safer
equipment over the years. Safety is important every
single minute of every day. I love my life, and I want
to come home safe to see my wife and kids each day.
I like to work hard, and Davey rewards that effort."
– Kevin Comacho, foreman,
Orlando Utilities account.
OWNER'S BOX
26
| March/April 2016
CANOPY
ABOVE
THE
With our partners at Casey Trees,
Davey is helping develop a new,
science-focused curriculum for middle
school students based on i-Tree.
What is i-Tree? In 2006 Davey
partnered with Casey Trees, USDA
Forest Service, Arbor Day Foundation,
Society of Municipal Arborists and the
International Society of Arboriculture
to develop a software suite designed
to analyze urban forests to assess
the benefits trees provide. The i-Tree
i-TREE LESSONS
software has helped countless com-
munities and organizations quantify
the value and structure of trees.
Now, i-Tree Lessons is expanding the
audience to school-age children.
The i-Tree lessons curriculum, which is
outlined on itreelessons.com, explores
the concepts of forest inventory,
assessment and using the i-Tree Tools
to satisfy requirements of the Next
Generation Science Standards for
middle school students. As a by-
product, the curriculum is intended
to promote both environmental aware-
ness and urban forest stewardship.
"By using i-Tree, students can learn
about the environment–its water cycle,
weather, evaporation, the
carbon cycle and more," says Scott
Maco, director of research and
development. "All these things are
impacted by trees."
The goal of i-Tree Lessons is for
students to use i-Tree software to
design a possible solution to a real
world, place-based problem, which is
increased atmospheric carbon dioxide
contributing to climate change. One
solution uses i-Tree to develop a tree
planting plan to combat carbon levels.
Maco says the program is
mutually beneficial.
"These are our clients of the future.
When people are educated
and understand the value of trees
they'll be more willing to ask for high
quality tree care," he says. "That leads
to tree preservation and higher levels
of stewardship across the industry–
that's good for everybody."
Washington, D.C.-area schools began
piloting the curriculum in fall 2015.
The new i-Tree Lessons curriculum helps middle
school students learn about the natural world.
