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Spring 2004 THETHE AASPLSPLUNDHUNDH TREETREE Words of Wisdom from the Field THETHE AASPLSPLUNDHUNDH This photo came to the TREETREE Corporate Communications Dept. last year, courtesy of Spring Issue 2004 Utility Lines Construction Service Supervisor Russ Contents Franklin of the Dick Umbel Asplundh Responds to Tree-Eating Pests .................................... 2 Region in Maryland. It didn’t win a prize in our Shoot Out Safety Success Is No Accident ....................... 4 photo contest, but the caption New Incentive Programs by Cabela’s............. 6 that accompanied this picture Firestorms! ...................................................... 7 of a snake in Russ’s hen New Product Review ...................................... 8 house has some lessons for all Management Update ....................................... 9 of us, such as, don’t let a Business Ethics: Don’t Leave competitor steal away your Home Without Them! ............................... 11 good employees. He wrote: Retirees Honored ........................................... 12 “You just never know who might be your competition or how close they are! Orchids ........................................................... 13 Anything can happen if you let your guard down. So you all best keep an eye on Crews & News ............................................... 17 things or you just might have your hen house robbed.” Good Deeds Help Community and Utility Relations .................................. 23 Promoting Utility Arborist Interests Through the ISA and UAA ....................... 25 Calling All Photographers! On the Cover You Could Be A Shoot Out Winner! Technical Services Director Jim Orr provided this photo of a well-maintained right-of-way to remind us that this is the time of year to plan for Take a good look at your work and the nature all around you. Capture it on film or a all the spraying, mowing, side-trimming and disc and then take aim on one of the cash prizes you could win if you enter your photo hazard tree removal that it takes to keep the in the Corporate Communications Department’s annual photo contest, Shoot Out 2004. power lines free of tree-caused outages. Your shot could win you a first, second or third place cash prize of $150, $100 or $75 respectively. The winning photos (including one Honorable Mention in each category) Managing Editor will be published in the Autumn 2004 issue of The Asplundh TREE. Entries received Corporate Communications by June 21 will be considered for possible use in the 2005 Asplundh Wall Calendar. Patti Chipman The contest challenge extends to Asplundh employees, customers and their immediate Writer/Editor family members. As always, your “target” categories are: Kristin Wild Work Related—Shoot from a high angle or down low, wide angle or zoom, but Assistant Editor/Graphics Specialist Ronnie Gauker give us a new perspective on your everyday work routine or emergency situations. Work scenes from our subsidiaries are also welcome. Check your pictures carefully because any sort of safety violation will get your photo disqualified. The Asplundh Tree is a family magazine, published quarterly for all employees and Nature—Mother Nature provides us with an endless supply of surprises. Whether friends of the Asplundh companies. it’s a landscape, seascape or a wildlife shot, we’d love to see it. Asplundh welcomes requests to reprint or You may submit color or black & white prints, 35mm slides, high resolution otherwise duplicate this magazine, in whole or digital images on disc—no negatives, please. You may also enter more than one in part. Please contact the Managing Editor of category with up to 10 photos total. Corporate Communications at the address below for permission, or call 1-800-248-TREE (in the Please package your photos carefully and be sure to enclose your name, address, U.S. or Canada). phone number and the category you wish to enter on a separate piece of paper. A brief ©2004 Asplundh Tree Expert Co. description of each picture would be helpful. Entries will not be returned unless you specifically request it. Fire off your entries to: Shoot Out 2004, Corporate Communications, 708 Blair Mill Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090. Asplundh Tree Expert Co. Deadline: July 30, 2004 708 Blair Mill Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090 (or June 21 for calendar consideration) www.asplundh.com Printed on recycled paper Merit Awards The two Silver Merit Award stories that Asplundh Silver Merit Awards were are about to follow feature five Asplundh presented to Foreman Sherman employees whose quick thinking, bravery, Gossett (third from L) and General safety training and compassion clearly saved Foreman Butch Lathey (second people and property from grave danger. from R) on February 10 at a steak cookout graciously hosted by David Wall (far R) of Xcel Energy. Downed Power Line Starts Fires On hand to offer their thanks and It was December 15, 2003—a windy, congratulations were Vice President winter day—and General Foreman Butch and Sponsor Keith Asplundh (center), Vice President Will Willis Lathey of the Will Willis Region was having (far L) and Supervisor Charles a safety meeting with Foreman Sherman Bynog (second from L). Gossett and his crew who were working on the property of Xcel Energy in Lubbock, Texas. The men heard something that and Lubbock Power & Light to cut the a screen on a porch and came after him. By sounded like firecrackers going off and power. He and Sherman directed the fire Sherman said it sounded like wires popping distracting the dog with a sign, he was able trucks to avoid the live wire when they to get into his truck and radio the City of together. So Butch and Sherman hopped arrived and kept people at a safe distance into a truck to track it down. Ames personnel to notify Animal Control. until the fires were under control and the But the dog ran off and so Mike went to In a nearby alley, they could see sparks power was shut off. work with the crew. flying out of a tree and as they entered the In the end, the fire burned a fence and About 10 minutes later, they heard a alley on foot they could see that a 12kV came within 20 feet of a home. However, dog barking in a back yard and after what line had fallen on the ground and started if Butch and Sherman had not reacted so had happened earlier, they were on alert. many little fires. Butch ran back to his quickly and intelligently, several homes truck to get a fire extinguisher. As he and and possibly lives could have been lost. Suddenly, a woman appeared holding a Sherman were trying to put out the fires, Great job! small child and they realized that she was homeowners started to come into the alley asking for their help. Her adult daughter to see what was going on. Immediately, the Rescue From Vicious Dog was stuck in the back yard with the same threatening dog seen earlier. men made sure the folks stayed in their yards On November 21, 2003, Foreman away from the live power line in the alley. Mike Mallicoat from the Keith Erickson Immediately, Trimmer Mike Harvey The switch still had not blown and the Region in Iowa was setting up to work wrapped his coat around his arm for winds made it hard to put out the fires, so for Ames Municipal Electric System protection while Foreman Brian Anderson Butch called the fire department for help when a pit-bull type of dog burst through and Groundman Chris Perkins ran with him into the back yard. Mike stayed to reassure the woman in the front yard. When the three men reached the back yard, the woman was fending off the dog with a lawn chair. Without hesitation, they grabbed the dog’s collar and held him back so she could escape. Moments later, an Ames police officer arrived and he was able to return the dog to its owner’s house. Ames Electric Service Superintendent Phil Schumer wrote a letter to Manager Keith Erickson, expressing his admiration for the crew: “In a time when many people are reluctant to ‘get involved’, these men did not hesitate to assist one of our citizens —even though it put them at risk of a On March 8 in Ames, Iowa, Asplundh Manager Keith Erickson (far R) and Utility Director Merlin possible injury. They are a real credit to Hove (far L) proudly presented Silver Merit Awards to Trimmer Mike Harvey (second from L), Groundman Chris Perkins (third from L) and Foreman Brian Anderson (second from R). Not pictured your company.” is Foreman Mike Mallicoat who recently resigned. Special thanks go to Ames’ Electric Services We agree! Congratulations to all of our Superintendent Phil Schumer (third from R) who investigated the crew’s heroic deed and Silver Merit Award winners! recognized them for their good work. The Asplundh TREE 1 Spring Issue 2004 Asplundh Responds To Tree-Eating Pests It’s hard to comprehend the immense W An adult Emerald destruction caused by such small creatures Ash Borer is about as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in parts 1/2 inch in length, of the Midwest and various bark beetles emerging from ash trees in early June, in the West. For example, an estimated mating and then 15 million of the 700 million ash trees in depositing eggs in Michigan have been lost to EAB in less than the bark crevasses of two years, most of them in the southeastern green, white or black part of the state including Detroit. In the ash. The real damage is done by the larvae West, dense stands of pine and spruce are which bore into the bark and cambium to feed. S-shaped galleries get progressively larger as rapidly dying or are already dead, victims the larvae grow, eventually killing the tree.