I moved to Kent, Ohio and started the Davey Company in 1880. One of my earliest challenges was to transform the landscape at Standing Rock Cemetery, which at the time had been in existence for more than 20 years and was overgrown with plants suffering from a lack of care and poor planning. My mission was to create a place of striking beauty with new, well-thought-out plantings. Happily, my plan worked.
Eager to do more, my sons and I planted hundreds of trees along the streets and around homes in the community over the next decade. Trees became my life. I worked 12 hour days earning a meager living and then, at night, wrote down my thoughts about tree preservation, which became a book, The Tree Doctor, a self-published work on tree care, which many say started an industry.
I've always believed trees have stories to tell. They are consistent. They announce spring with soft color and dazzle the sky in autumn. They bear witness to the moments in our lives, both the exceptional and the ordinary.
I, and my fellow Davey arborists, support those who serve to cultivate trees and their memories. I have always known I am not alone - and neither are you. Trees have always been and will always be with you.
This place is for you - a space where you can share your special tree stories. Trees have given us so much - cooling shade and clean air, among other things. Yet they've always stood backstage. Help us give back to them with a little slice of the center stage they deserve.
- John Davey