Wednesday, December 10, 2025
photos provided by Carl J. Bower, assistant professor of horticulture
Rider J. Heckman, of Easton, takes instruction from a Davey Tree Expert Co. employee on how to properly walk on a tree limb. The "limb" was only inches from the ground, which is much safer when training new employees. The activity was part of the company’s two-day Davey Tree Collegiate Day. The Penn College group joined 10 other colleges to explore Davey Tree’s Science, Employee, Education and Development campus.
Pennsylvania College of Technology landscape/plant production technology students, along with Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture, and Wyatt C. Forest, horticulture laboratory assistant, recently traveled to Kent, Ohio, to participate in Davey Tree Expert Co.’s two-day Davey Tree Collegiate Day. Penn College, along with 10 other colleges, visited the company’s Science, Employee, Education and Development campus.
Throughout the day, students learned about Davey Tree, toured the SEED campus and arboretum, and participated in trainings geared toward arboriculture, including tree climbing, pest diagnosis, leadership skills and keeping their “industrial athletics” in top form to perform their jobs.
According to Bower, it is Davey’s hope that the facility will help students lead the tree care industry and provide the best care to their clients and their landscapes.
“The complex was a golf course that they turned into an arboretum, and parts of it will be open to the public in a year or two,” he said. “The building itself is all new with classrooms, labs and a phenomenal indoor climbing area that was set up to teach climbers the best practices in a safe, controlled environment. There were many ideas that we took from their facility that we could incorporate here at our campus.”
The students, he added, were impressed by the professionalism of the Davey staff.
“They came away with an appreciation of what goes into the care of trees,” Bower said. “It’s so much more than people think.”
From left, Katie R. Boyer, of Middleburg; Clare E. Allen, of Stevensville; and Katelynn S. Sauers, of Millmont, all landscape/plant production technology students, examine an insect in Davey Tree’s diagnostic lab.
Wyatt C. Forest (far left), horticulture laboratory assistant, and Carl J. Bower Jr. (second from right), assistant professor of horticulture, with landscape/plant production technology students at Davey Tree Expert Co.’s SEED campus.
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