Davey Tree’s Science, Employee Education and Development Campus is setting a new standard for training in the green industry. Housed in a purpose-built facility, it offers employees hands-on learning opportunities that span the company’s residential, commercial, environmental and utility service lines.
The campus features innovative training tools such as a metal climbing structure, non-energized utility poles, state-of-the-art laboratories and outdoor research areas. Beyond employee development, the campus also serves as a community hub, with plans to open its arboretum and green spaces for public education and events.
Jill Rebuck, senior project manager and corporate communications, shared her thoughts.
“The SEED Campus is the first place in the green industry where all of Davey’s service lines — residential, commercial, environmental and utility — can train together,” Rebuck said. “We wanted to create a unified space where every employee has access to top-tier, hands-on training.”
Among the innovative training tools at the facility, she said the 10,700-square-foot at-height climbing training center stands out for its ability to allow trainees to safely scale its nine metal rods indoors.
“One of the campus’s most unique features is a metal climbing structure that helps employees get comfortable with gear before ever setting foot in a tree,” Rebuck said. “It’s a new approach to training that sets us apart from others in the industry.”
Since its opening this summer, the campus has reflected the company’s commitment to ensuring their employees are prepared. The employee-owned tree care and environmental services company designed the facility to provide supervised training from all angles.
“Having non-energized utility poles on-site means our teams can train safely and realistically without working on live lines,” Rebuck said. “It’s another example of how the SEED Campus creates hands-on learning in a controlled, purpose-built environment.”
The facility’s over 200 acres provides employees spaces for training and extending their research periods with four 600-sqaure-foot greenhouses.
“Our Davey Resource Group team can now use the campus for hands-on environmental training and wetlands research,” Rebuck said. “We also have a large outdoor research area with rows of trees, each with individually controlled irrigation, which extends the work happening inside our new labs.”
By immersing their team in a natural setting, the SEED Campus aims to foster long-term research while enhancing trainings like the month-long Davey Institute of Tree Science one in February.
“The SEED Campus gives our environmental team space to train and study in real ecosystems,” Rebuck said. “Between the wetlands, the outdoor tree research area, and the controlled irrigation systems, it’s designed to support long-term innovation in tree science and land management.”
Reflecting on the vision that brought the property to life, Dan Herms, vice president and general manager of the Davey Institute, emphasized the opportunity the project represented.
“This was a generational opportunity to convert a blank slate into a state-of-the-art research and training facility, unlike anything in the world to support the employees and clients of The Davey Tree Expert Company,” Herms said.
For the first time, Davey has a dedicated space designed to welcome the public, creating new opportunities for events and programs.
“We’ve never had a property like this where we could invite the public in for events or educational opportunities,” Rebuck said. “Now, whether it’s a small group or a large one, we have the space to truly connect with the broader community.”
Significant investments have been made to enhance the campus’s lab capabilities, featuring spaces for diagnostics and research. Paired with new greenhouse and utility training zones, these facilities enable advanced and precise work.
Looking ahead, the SEED Campus is poised to serve not only Davey’s employees but the broader industry as well.
“Because our climbing structure is certified through a national at-height training organization, we now have access to similar facilities across the country — and they have access to ours,” Rebuck said. “It opens the door for other groups outside of Davey to use our campus for training and education as well.”
Savannah Carroll is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
