16
| July/August 2016
MY DAVEY
DAVEY PUTS EMPHASIS ON PLANT HEALTH CARE
Davey's plant health care program
(PHC) is growing even greener.
Starting this year, PHC is becoming
more of a sustained effort under the
smart growth pillar of Davey's strategic
plan, Vision 20/20.
Introduced at Davey in 1987, plant
health care is a holistic approach that
focuses on developing and maintaining
healthy plants, so they become less
susceptible to problems. It's a
combination of what's right for the
tree and what's best for the client.
"When we properly maintain plants
and trees, they become healthier and
can better resist pests and withstand
difficult problems," Jim Zwack, director
of technical services at The Davey
Institute, said.
Zwack shares this example. Say you
have a birch tree in your yard, and
you remove the competing turf grass,
replace it with mulch, make sure the
soil isn't compacted, water it when it's
dry and manage its nutrients. These
activities provide all the ingredients
for a healthy tree that is less likely to
be attacked by a pest like the bronze
birch borer, which targets stressed,
weakened trees.
Rex Bastian (left) and Jim Zwack discuss the
details of the new Plant Health Care initiatives with
company leaders at the Davey Institute in February.
In essence, through PHC Davey antic-
ipates and prevents problems before
they happen. Then, pest control and
other treatments are only done when
necessary. "From when Davey began
this program to now, the principles of
PHC have stayed the same but the
approach is changing," Zwack said.
"This year and next, Davey's PHC
program is expanding and evolving,"
Zwack said. "We're holding workshops
across the country to arm our
employees with the best, most up-
to-date PHC research and techniques.
For PHC to be successful, our
employees have to showcase their
technical authority."
"What we're selling with PHC is our
arborists' knowledge and expertise of
the entire landscape – from the large
oak tree to the azaleas," Jim Houston,
vice president of Davey's Midwest
Residential/Commercial operations,
said. "Almost any company can treat
a tree, and many can prune. But
with the vast resources of the Davey
Institute behind us, our scientifically
backed practices greatly differentiate
us from the competition."
Since April 2016, several R/C regional
vice presidents have already hosted
workshops at the following locations:
• Greensboro, North Carolina – Vice
President Ken Clear
• Denver, Colorado – Vice President
and General Manager Jed Day
• Kent, Ohio; Sandusky, Ohio; and
Minneapolis, Minnesota – Vice
President Jim Houston
• Chicago, Illinois – Vice President
Bill Whitmire
Davey employees met to discuss the new direction of Davey's Plant Health Care program and how to make those goals a reality in February.
