Davey Tree Celebrates Recent Tree Sciences Training School Graduates

KENT, Ohio - Thirty-nine Davey Tree Expert Co. employees just expanded their knowledge of tree care. The group makes up the recent graduates from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.).

Instructors from The Davey Institute, Davey’s research and development branch, taught a variety of subjects during the month-long training session that was based at the company's headquarters in Kent, Ohio, earlier this year. Topics included insect and disease management, tree identification, tree physiology, plant health care, tree climbing techniques, chainsaw safety and pruning. Students also learned about Davey Tree Expert Co.'s structure, future plans and leadership opportunities.

“The knowledge I’ve gained here will help me better communicate with our clients and be able to answer any questions or concerns they may have,” says recent graduate Camille Sperry, sales and service technician at Davey’s Seattle office.

Brandon Freeman, general foreman on the Houston, Texas, Reliant Energy account, agrees with Sperry. “I learned so many different climbing techniques that I am going to take back to Houston with me,” he says. “I will be able to give good advice to customers and feel confident that they are getting the best possible service out there.”

D.I.T.S. Manager of Education and Training Richard Jones says all of Davey’s training programs are designed to give hands-on training combined with technical knowledge that can be useful in the field. In addition to more in-dept courses held at the company's headquarters, classes can be regional or taken online. Jones says training at the company can be as casual as a daily safety briefing on the job site and as formal as presentations on the company’s future by the president.

“I’d estimate that approximately 25 percent of our employees go through one of our formal training programs each year,” Jones says, adding that D.I.T.S. is one of the original training programs at Davey Tree that has its roots in a three-month long educational session that began in 1908. “We take employee education very seriously.”