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The Davey Bulletin | November/December 2016
ARBORISTS UNITE TO
CARE FOR MILITARY
CEMETERY GROUNDS
More than 1,400 tree care
professionals from across the nation
volunteered for veterans on the 2nd
Annual Saluting Branches: Arborists
United for Veteran Remembrance.
The one-day event encourages
arborists to donate their time to
improve the landscapes of U.S.
veterans' cemeteries.
About 70 of the volunteers came
from Davey. This day in September,
for many in the Davey family and
beyond, is a chance to use their tree
care skills to give back to a good
cause. For others, it's a day to honor
their fellow veterans who fought
before, beside or after them in the
line of duty.
Together, Davey and other tree
care industry firms provided nearly
$1 million worth of exceptional tree
care to 34 veterans' cemeteries
across the United States.
MY DAVEY
Chris Heim's Atlanta R/C office volunteered at Marietta National Military Cemetery for the Saluting Branches day of service. Volunteers included Devon
Lucabaugh, Justin McCullough and Ed Williams. They partnered with volunteers from another tree firm to remove a large, hazardous red oak tree.
"Both crews worked well together to safely remove this tree," Heim said. Heim lost his older brother in the Vietnam War, so Saluting Branches gave
him the perfect platform to honor his brother.
Shawn Bruzda (pictured left), biologist and urban forester for
Davey Resource Group (DRG), worked next to Joe Gregory,
assistant manager, natural resource consulting, DRG, at
the Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio.
Together, they completed root collar excavation and pruned
low-hanging tree branches onthe cemetery grounds. This day
meant a lot to Bruzda, who served as a specialist in the Army
Reserve to pay his way through college. "When you start
sweating, you remember why you are out here," Bruzda said.
"It's not about you. It's for the grounds and for the families."
David Goad, sales arborist
for Davey's West Cleveland
office, pruned and thinned
out trees at Western Reserve
National Cemetery for
Saluting Branches Day.
"I really respect and honor
our veterans; I have known
a lot in my lifetime," said
Goad, whose mother and
stepfather are buried at
the cemetery. "It's actually
a chance to showcase
what I do best, as well as
being a part of something
Davey is being a part
of." Goad appreciated seeing
competitors from the industry
there coming together for
such a good cause.