Talking Trees with Davey Tree

Talking Trees with Davey Tree

Your trees and landscapes require year-round care, and The Davey Tree Expert Company is here to help provide you with expert advice. Join our professional Davey arborists and gardening-expert host Doug Oster to learn all about caring for your properties. We'll talk about introduced pests, seasonal tree care, tree diseases, arborists' favorite trees, how to help your trees thrive and everything in between. Tune in every Thursday because here at the Talking Trees Podcast, we know trees are the answer.

Episodes

October 30, 2025 22 mins

Michael Cassidy, sales arborist at Davey's West Columbus office, shares his list of scary movies featuring spooky trees, eerie forests and creepy plants just in time for Halloween. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Doug's favorite horror movie (1:22)
  • Doug and Michael's Halloween traditions (2:40)
  • Scary movies with scary trees and plants  
    • Pumpkinhead (4:34)
    • The Wicker Man (5:01)
    • Ernest Scares Stupid (6:02)
    • Blair Witch Proj...
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Sam Heywood, area manager for Davey Resource Group (DRG), talks about urban forestry and answers listener questions about planting native species in urban environments and how climate change is affecting the species we plant. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • What is DRG? (0:48)
  • Tree inventories (2:01)
  • How did Sam start working at Davey? (3:55)
  • Why should we have trees in cities? (4:45)
  • DRG's impact on urban forestry (7:17)
  • Listener qu...
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Adam Passo, district manager of Davey's Milwaukee office, talks about all kinds of trees and plants with winter interest, explaining how their berries, bark and foliage stand out during colder months. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Evergreens (0:44) (8:42)
  • Trees with four-season interest (1:27)
    • Three-flowered maple (2:09)
    • Paperbark maple (3:39)
  • Do trees with winter interest shine in other seasons? (5:14)
  • London plane vs. Sy...
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Craig Stone, assistant district manager at Davey's South Pittsburgh office, talks about unique trees that can increase landscape diversity, along with key characteristics homeowners should consider when selecting the right tree for their yard. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Silverbell trees (0:55)
  • Diversity in our landscape (1:53)
  • Client responses to unique species recommendations (2:25)
    • Characteristics for homeowners to consi...
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Zane Raudenbush, manager of research operations at the Davey Institute, shares expert tips on managing your lawn during the fall season, including turf health, grass types, sodding and more. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Zane's role at Davey (0:32)
  • How the Eastern U.S. drought is affecting turf health (1:17)
  • Can dead turfgrass recover? (3:44)
  • Turfgrass seeds (4:35)
  • Watering (6:38)
  • Sod (8:04)
  • Fall weed control (12:11)
    • Nutsedge (12...
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Michael Holleran, assistant district manager from Davey's Wilmington, DE office, talks about the many uses and benefits of leaves, including nutrients, composting, mulching and more. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • How to repurpose leaves on your property (0:51) (14:34)
  • What to do with thick patches of leaves (1:40)
  • Leaves for mulching (4:03)
  • Testing your soil's pH levels (5:34)
  • Removing leaves is removing a source of nutrients...
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David Horvath, sales arborist from Davey's Lake Bluff office, talks about the many factors of tree removal on client properties, such as costs, site assessments, best practices and the importance of communication. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • When preservation isn't possible, removal is the only option (0:58)
  • Factors of tree removal that arborists consider (1:25)
  • Stag trees and left over wood (3:40)
  • Don't wait until yo...
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Michael Sundberg, district manager of Davey's West Denver office, talks about early fall color on trees, as well as why it occurs, problems to look out for and how to treat stressed-out trees. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • What were Denver's spring and summer seasons like this year? (0:50)
  • Denver trees' response to a wet spring (1:40)
  • What homeowners should know about leaf discoloration (2:14)
  • Long-term affect of drough...
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August 28, 2025 21 mins

We sent in your questions, so in this part two episode, Davey arborist Lou Meyer answers them! To submit a question for a future episode, email us at podcasts@davey.com.

In this episode we cover: 

  • Planting trees in wet areas (0:40)
  • Replanting where a tree used to be (5:04)
  • What is the best treatment for moss in your yard? (9:23)
  • Japanese stiltgrass (13:29)
  • Why you shouldn't plant a mulberry tree (16:48)

To find your local Da...

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August 21, 2025 20 mins

We sent in your questions, so in this part one episode, Davey arborist Lou Meyer answers them! To submit a question for a future episode, email us at podcasts@davey.com.

In this episode we cover: 

  • Growing trees in containers (1:03)
  • How is biochar applied? (9:46)
  • Chlorosis - iron sulfate or biochar? (14:42) 

To find your local Davey office, check out our find a local office page to search by zip code.

Connect with Davey Tree on s...

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Brian Sieber, district manager of Davey's Cincinnati office, talks about different growths that could be harming your trees, such as black knot and galls. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Black knot (1:02)
    • Pruning infected trees (3:08)
    • How to avoid black knot (4:08)
    • Are healthy trees resistant to pathogens and pests? (5:09)
    • Does cutting out black knot save the tree? (5:47)
    • Black knot in the fall (6:39)
    • How has the weather affected ...
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Ryan Kasak, sales arborist at Davey's Wickes/arborists, a Davey company, office, talks about a variety of summertime pests, as well as how homeowners can spot and get rid of them. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Bagworms (00:48)
  • Aphids (3:33)
  • Crape myrtle trees in Rockland County, NY (5:24)
  • Japanese beetles (6:06)
  • Is a healthy tree not as prone to pests? (7:12)
  • How do pests act when it's hot and dry? (8:13)
  • Spider mites (8:46)
  • Spo...
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Ana Burns, senior area manager at Davey Resource Group (DRG), talks all about wetlands, their ecological importance and the work that DRG is doing to preserve these natural habitats. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • What is Davey Resource Group (DRG)? (00:41)
  • Ana's role at DRG (1:15)
  • How is a wetland defined? (1:49)
  • How are wetlands important to the environment? (2:54)
  • How does DRG work with wetlands? (3:29)
  • Sustainability and constru...
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Jess Divin, district manager of Davey's East San Antonio office, talks about how Texas' long-term drought is impacting trees, as well as the infections that can result from drought stress and the natural defenses trees use to survive. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Oak wilt fungal infection (00:42)
  • How can homeowners take care of oak wilt? (3:40)
  • Years-long Texas drought is highly affecting trees (7:37)
  • Tree defense mechanism...
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Lou Meyer, reginal business developer in Davey's Mid-Atlantic region, talks about the beautiful tulip poplar tree, including its height, classification and uses for its wood. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Description of the tulip poplar (00:42)
  • Where and how do they grow? (2:18)
  • Weak wood vs. mid wood trees (5:02)
  • Colonizer trees (6:03)
  • Tulip poplar leaves (7:43)
  • Tulip poplar flowers (8:52)
  • Tulip poplar fruit (9:57)
  • They grow to extr...
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Scott Gardner, district manager of Davey's Burnaby office, talks about the devastating emerald ash borer infestation among the surrounding Vancouver area and how different it is one year later, as well as the predictions and precautions being taken to tackle the situation. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Emerald ash borer spread in the metro Vancouver area (00:45)
  • How serious is the infestation? (2:52)
  • EAB in the eastern U.S. (5:3...
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Lou Meyer, regional business developer in Davey's mid-Atlantic region, talks about the Pennsylvania state tree, the Eastern hemlock, as well as its beauty, benefits and threats it faces from the hemlock woolly adelgid. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • History of the Eastern hemlock (1:03)
  • Horticultural oil for pest control (2:18) (5:56)
  • What are other treatment options for these trees? (4:04)
  • Signs of hemlock woolly adelgid (6:47)
  • Do...
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Jason Parker, district manager of Davey's Warminster office, talks about why soil is so vital for a healthy landscape, as well as which plants are best for certain types of soil and how to keep soil healthy. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Most common types of soil in Philadelphia (1:27)
  • Topsoil from new developments (1:58)
  • Soil testing (3:14)
  • How to properly plant trees in soil (5:20)
  • Older neighborhoods usually have better soil (7...
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Kyle Mack, district manager of Davey's Arborguard, a Davey company, Atlanta office, shares how to spot storm risks in your trees, as well as best practices to prevent summer storm damage.  

In this episode we cover: 

  • What to look for on a property when summer storms are coming (0:41)
  • Fungal bodies at the bottom of your tree (2:05)
  • Storm season in Atlanta (2:32)
  • Get a tree checkup every six months (3:05)
  • What arborists do to insp...
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Chelsi Abbott, technical advisor within the Davey Institute, shares what the signs of tree decline are, along with what homeowners can do to spot and prevent it. 

In this episode we cover: 

  • Why do trees decline? (1:37) 
  • Water supply is the root issue (2:44)
  • What are the signs of tree decline? (4:02)
  • What can we do to intervene? (6:00)
  • The timeline of tree decline (8:02)
  • What it's like to be a technical advisor at Davey (10:12)
  • Fun...
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