September/October 2017 | The Davey Bulletin 17
Longtime Davey client Johnson &
Johnson invited Jason Parker, district
manager of Davey's North Philadelphia
R/C office, to participate in an Earth
Day event focused on sustainability
at the Fort Washington, Pennsylvania,
Johnson & Johnson campus.
At the event, Johnson & Johnson
presentated details of its sustainability
goals for the site. The goal is to
become 80 percent sustainable by
2020 and 100 percent by 2050. To
meet the goal, the client placed a solar
array and storm water management on
site, creating some unique landscape
maintenance challenges.
The solar array requires regular
applications of turf growth regulator
to minimize mowing requirements
SUPPORTING A CLIENT'S SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
to prevent damage to the arrays,
Parker said. This is a top priority for
the crews, because the arrays are
expensive to replace if they were
accidentally damaged.
"The less time they have a large
mower around their solar panels,
the better for them," Parker said.
The storm water management system
was seeded with a wildflower mix
and plant material such as low-grow
sumac, Parker said.
Davey must keep the wildflower mix
out of the fine turf. The crew needs
herbicides that are water safe and
mitigate specific undesirable plants,
Parker said.
Protecting the health of the 80-plus ash
Jason Parker, right, answered questions from employees at
Johnson & Johnson about Davey's work at their Fort Washington,
Pennsylvania, campus. Parker told them about the work being
done to maintain the ash trees on the property.
trees at the site against the emerald
ash borer is another top priority for
Davey. Strict regulations set by the local
government regarding tree removal
and inch-for-inch tree replacement
could result in a large expense for the
client should the trees need removed,
Parker said. For example, if the client
removed a 30-inch tree, they must
replant enough new trees to equal the
removed 30-inch tree.
Johnson & Johnson employees at the
event showed concern about EAB
effects on the area ash trees, and
many asked how they could help their
own ash trees.
"It was neat to point out to them we
protect the ash trees," Parker said.
Davey client Johnson & Johnson installed
a solar array at their Fort Washington,
Pennsylvania, campus to support the
company's sustainability goals.
Johnson & Johnson added a storm water management
system at their Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, campus.
The North Philadelphia R/C office is tasked with keeping
the wildflower mix planted by local landscape partner
Arrimour Group out of the fine turf.
COMMUNITY
NURTURING
