In this Wall Street Journal article, RJ Laverne, Davey's manager of education and training, talks about the emotional relationships people form with plants and trees. 

Posted: May 19, 2026

RJ Laverne’s childhood home in Detroit had a big elm out front. In fact, the whole neighborhood was lined with them: great, graceful trees whose branches spread across the street to create a shady canopy. Elms were so widely planted in cities and suburbs in the 19th and 20th centuries that they became known as the “Main Street tree.” Then, in the 1930s, Dutch elm disease began to ravage them, and by 1989, most of America’s 77 million mature elms were dead.

Laverne’s elm and its demise remain seared into his memory decades later. “I was maybe 8,” he says, “and I remember standing at the front door next to my sister when the trucks came down the street and cut down the elm trees one by one. When they cut ours, it felt similar to losing a pet. I imagine I was not the only person that grieved to see our neighborhood transformed from this beautiful cathedral of trees to clear cut.”

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The Davey Tree Expert Company provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. Established in 1880 and headquartered in Kent, Ohio, Davey has over 12,000 employees who create and deliver sustainable solutions. Davey continues to grow through expertise with the SEED Campus, its newest commitment to training, research and safety. Become part of the Davey legacy by applying today and join one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S.

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