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The Davey Bulletin Sept-Oct 2017

The Davey Tree Expert Company provides residential and commercial tree service and landscape service throughout North America. Read our Flipbooks for helpful tips and information on proper tree and lawn care.

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16 The Davey Bulletin | September/October 2017 MUDSLIDES, STORMS TOPPLE CALIFORNIA TREES After years of drought, California peaked with more than 90 percent of the state listed under some level of drought and 60 percent experiencing severe drought by September 2016, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Thanks to unrelenting rain, the drought was considered over for nearly 80 percent of the state by March 2017. Suddenly trees weakened by years of drought conditions failed in the heavy storms. Ben Johnson, area supervisor, Davey Tree Surgery Company, said his crews on the PG&E Central Coast account spent January and February doing nothing but storm restoration work by removing downed trees and limbs to help PG&E restore power to thousands of utility customers. "In my 20 years of working at Davey, it was definitely the worst damage I've seen," Johnson said. Johnson stressed to his crews that safety was paramount. "There were a few instances where we delayed a job in order to wait for improved conditions, and the client supported us fully in those rare instances." In several cases, failed trees affecting power lines were in the middle of an active mudslide. Other challenges were large trees that had failed, knocked out a power line but were hung up in a phone line or another tree. Raul Rios, general foreman, PG&E Central Coast account, said on one call they encountered a roadside, two-stem eucalyptus tree about 160 feet tall that had fallen but became entangled in a cypress tree on one side of the road and another large eucalyptus tree on the other side of the road. The fallen tree was suspended about 30 feet above the street and spanned the width of the roadway. "Everything went perfectly according to our job briefing, but it was a nearly 20-hour job," he said. The central coast crews worked thousands of long hours without a single recordable incident. Johnson credits their focus on safety with efficiently and effectively aiding the client during these record-setting winter rainstorms. "I've never been through a hurricane or any other similar natural disaster, other than an earthquake, yet this was above and beyond anything we expected," he said. "We took pride in making sure we were working safely and doing the best we could to assist our client." MY DAVEY This was common damage for the peak of the winter rainstorms in California earlier this year. A large tree fell due to heavy rain in California this winter and flattened this Toyota pick-up truck like a pancake.

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