News

First lady visits Project EverGreen

NEW PRAGUE, Minn. – Project EverGreen was on the frontlines of a recent roundtable discussion with first lady Michelle Obama about how communities can better support military families in the United States.

The organization’s GreenCare for Troops participated in the roundtable, which was part of the White House’s Joining Forces Initiatives. Led by Obama, the program is designed to recognize organizations and communities dedicated to supporting military families throughout the country. The meeting also sought to share ideas and experiences for existing programs to be expanded and for new programs to be developed.

Joy Westenberg, program manager for GreenCare for Troops, attended the event. She said small acts of kindness – as simple as mowing a military family’s lawn – go a long way to showing support for community members making an enormous sacrifice for the country.
 

“Our military families have bigger things to worry about than the condition of their lawn,” Westenberg said. “Knowing those chores are being taken care of allows the family to push through a stressful and difficult time. A well-maintained lawn also provides families with a tranquil area to unwind and relax.”

Project EverGreen will also participate in an April 11 White House ceremony recognizing GreenCare for Troops and the other 19 finalists in the Joining Forces Community Challenge, which was meant to recognize and celebrate organizations committed to serving military families.

Davey Institute graduates new classes

KENT, Ohio – One of the bigger classes in recent years completed the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences (D.I.T.S.). Almost 50 students attended the month-long program, which is the flagship training program of The Davey Tree Expert Co.

D.I.T.S., which traces its roots back to 1909, includes classroom and field exercises in climbing and safety procedures, tree and plant care, disease and pest diagnosis, management practices and team building.

R.J. Laverne, Davey’s manager of education and training, pointed out that D.I.T.S. is one of many training classes Davey offers. “The array of education and training opportunities Davey provides our employees, from D.I.T.S., to our associate’s degree program, to our online extension coursework is unique within the green industry,” Laverne said. “As our flagship program, D.I.T.S. continues to evolve to prepare our employees for technical, business-driven and team-related opportunities.”

This year’s class included sessions on how to spot invasive species such as the Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer. Students also learned about how to preserve trees during construction and heard management presentations from their respective service lines as the program drew to a close.

As part of the D.I.T.S. graduation dinner on Friday, Laverne announced that Richard Burback, an employee of the company’s Northeast Detroit office, received the Golden Oak Award, which is earned by the student with the highest academic performance.

Attendees were drawn from Davey operations across North America and had to be nominated by their field managers and approved by management to be admitted into the program.

The company also graduated 26 students from its Davey Institute of Grounds Management, which includes classroom and field exercises in tree and turf care, disease diagnosis and invasive plants and nuisance pests. The class included sessions on how to create rain gardens and biorentention areas and offered a customer-led panel discussion on customer satisfaction.

Downy mildew spreading fast

The increased findings of downy mildew on Impatiens walleriana have growers calling on the green industry to help reduce the spread of the disease.

Some landscapers are replacing the flower with other choices, while companies, such as Raker, have set up preventative treatment programs. In fall 2011, Ball Horticultural Co. issued an alert to landscapers to look for occurrences of downy mildew growing on impatiens.

“Scouting impatiens beds for the disease, and promptly removing infected plants and leaf debris, can help reduce overwintering spores in the soil that may initiate new infections next season,” said Colleen Warfield, plant pathologist for Ball Horticultural Co.

The downy mildew outbreak is specific to Impatiens walleriana and will not infect other plants.

According to Ball, symptoms of the disease include: leaves that appear slightly chlorotic or stippled, and become completely yellow over time. Subtle gray markings may appear on the upper leaf surface and a white, downy-like growth may be present on the underside of the leaf. As the disease progresses, premature leaf drop occurs, leaving stems bare and leafless. The stems then may become soft and the plant collapses.

If the disease is spotted, Ball recommends removing the plants and leaf debris from the bed and container and then disposing the material offsite. Also, it’s recommended to use alternative plants in beds the following season.

Impatiens is the nation’s most popular bedding plant, according to the University of Florida. The disease has caused problems in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

More on the cause and how to treat downy mildew can be found at www.lawnandlandscape.com, search “downy mildew.”

Schiller Grounds Care achieves safety milestone

SOUTH HAMPTON, Pa. – Schiller Grounds Care, manufacturer of BOB-CAT, Bunton, Classen, Little Wonder, Mantis, Ryan and Steiner brand outdoor power equipment, recently achieved a workplace safety milestone in its Johnson Creek, Wis., facility, reaching  four million man-hours without a lost time injury. It took a little less than 12 years to work four million hours. Liberty Mutual Group awarded Schiller its Silver Safety Excellence Award for workplace safety.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment, and I am proud of everyone on the team, as it truly is a team effort,” said Pat Cappucci, president and COO of Schiller Grounds Care.

“There is no way that we could have accomplished this without every single person chipping in to make safety a priority in the workplace.”

Through the implementation of sound industry practices and the inclusion of pertinent elements of industry supporting programs such as; Lean Manufacturing, ISO, 5S and others throughout the years, Schiller has created a proactive safety environment where employees are encouraged to participate in being safety conscious.

There are four key elements of Schiller’s safety program. Employees identify leading indicators by documenting incident potential in the workplace.

Production lines are ergonomic by design with jigs, hoists and lift tables utilized to eliminate potential injuries.

A daily ergonomic exercise program is held for all employees. Schiller’s rigorous Safety Audit Program requires management and employees to work together to find solutions and create guidelines instrumental in creating and maintaining a safe workplace environment.

Deere named Environmental Steward by NCDENR

RALEIGH, N.C. – The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources named John Deere Turf Care in Fuquay-Varina a 2011 Environmental Steward. 

The state’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative, designed to promote and encourage superior environmental performance by North Carolina’s regulated community, began in 2002.

An Environmental Steward is an organization that has demonstrated environmental leadership through its commitment to exemplary environmental performance beyond what is required by regulation.

The award recognizes John Deere Turf Care’s environmental performance, commitment to continued reduction of its environmental impact and demonstrated commitment to exceed compliance.

The facility is one of only 16 facilities in North Carolina that have achieved this recognition.

“John Deere Turf Care shows an obvious commitment to efficiency, waste reduction and innovation,” said DENR Secretary Dee Freeman. “For example, the company requires all its suppliers to use only reusable containers instead of cardboard, and sends out its final products with either no packaging or on returnable metal racks so as to avoid waste.”

Reasons cited by the advisory board in its recognition of the facility include:

• Integration of environmental management into core business operations through lean practices, driving environmental awareness through efficiency improvement programs; 
• Its compliance history and commitment to continual improvement, including packaging reductions for both incoming parts from suppliers and outgoing finished products for customers;
• Its commitment to continue solid waste reduction after already reducing it per ton of product by more than 90 percent; 
• Its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy usage; and 
• Its water reduction efforts, particularly during its recent expansion.
   

TCI EXPO to take on Baltimore

LONDONDERRY, N.H. – The TCI EXPO is on the move again, this year to Baltimore. The tree care industry trade show and conference will be held Nov. 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The annual event provides networking opportunities, education courses and the latest products and equipment.

“A trade show presence is only effective if the attendees want to be there,” said Chris Nichols of Vermeer Corp. “With TCI EXPO, they do.”

For updates leading up to the event, visit Tree Care Industry Association’s website, www.tcia.org.

Clarification

Our February cover story, “Power Players,” referenced a Kevin Kehoe talk at PLANET’s 2011 Green Industry Conference, where he cited the rate for basic commercial maintenance in Florida costing $19 per hour. Some of the participants in our Power Panel were shocked at how low the number is.

Kehoe shared with us this graph and explained there are three reasons why the charge rate per hour is lower in Florida. One is seasonality. In Florida, companies can mow the entire year, generating revenue for more months than companies based in Illinois. Two, equipment isn’t as expensive because contractors don’t need to buy snow equipment or heavy vehicles used in snow. Three, the environment, because the weather is milder in the south, equipment lasts one to two years longer.