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Trying to Save Trees

Before Dave Burke’s two sons had learned to ride bicycles, he gave each of them a custom-made harness for climbing trees. “If you fall,” he assured them, “I’ll catch you!” To his skeptical wife, he said, “They’ve got to learn some time!”

Now one of those sons is co-owner of Dave’s Tree Service. “I grew up doing it,” Todd Burke said. “It was kind of in my blood from an early age.”

The business began in 1967 when Dave Burke, outfitted with discarded climbing gear and an old chainsaw, borrowed money to buy a jeep and trailer to cut brush. Now as father and son, Dave and Todd oversee an operation that employs 14 workers.

While some tree services deal only with removals, Dave’s Tree Service expands beyond that scope.

“There’s nothing we can’t do for trees,” Todd said.

Todd has been working with his father full time for 24 years, along with helping when he was still in high school. As co-owner, he is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist as well as a certified utility specialist.

Dave is now is semi-retired, but he remains active in the business in more than just his name on the signs and trucks.

“He and I assume the same responsibilities,” Todd said, giving estimates, looking at jobs, setting up crews. “The workload is so great that I need his help. But I don’t think he’ll ever get out of it. If he can still walk, he’ll be in the office at 7 am!”

The partnership works well. “My father set the foundation,” Todd said. “He admits he’s old school, but he welcomes the accreditation I’ve been getting, and recognizes the new age. We’ve expanded as I came along, and offer a variety of services, such as tree health care.”

Dave’s Tree Service co-owner Todd Burke is a certified arborist, expanding the business that his father Dave Burke started in 1967. “We push more for saving a tree than cutting it down,” he said. “I like the fact that we take care of trees, some almost dead, and we bring them back to thriving without removing them.”

When Dave’s Tree Service is called to remove a diseased or damaged tree, “I look at the project,” Todd said, “and say, here are the options before we cut it down.” Choices may include the application of growth regulators for root strength; treatments for diseases, funguses, or pests; or bracing with bolts and cables.

“We push more for saving a tree than cutting it down,” he continued. “I recommend that all the time. Oftentimes I try to talk them out of it! I like the fact that we take care of trees, some almost dead, and we bring them back to thriving without removing them.”

Dave’s Tree Service home base is located on 10-acres of land at the corner of County V and Elm Drive near Jacksonport. In addition to office and storage buildings for equipment, the operation includes an inventory of mulches, nursery stock, fencing materials, and other supplies.

The company does residential, commercial, municipal and utility work primarily in Door and Kewaunee Counties, but also throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. In addition to tree maintenance, the business accepts landscape work involving planting and creating hardscape (and offers a variety of related products), consulting work, and integrated vegetation management electrical utility work.

Cutting trees is inherently dangerous, especially for a homeowner without the knowledge or proper equipment for the task, Todd notes. Trees can be unpredictable when they fall, and amateur woodsmen aren’t always aware of potential problems that surround them.

“For us, storm work is dangerous,” Todd said, “but we know potential dangers and are more cautious. The biggest challenge is when a power company calls us out in the middle of the night during a storm to take trees off power lines. Working with floodlights, we can’t see what we’re doing! Everyone has to be on their toes!”

Because of the inherent risks in the work, all employees are trained in CPR, first aid, treetop rescue, and electrical hazard awareness. “You can have all the training in the world,” Todd added, “but experience is the best.” Most of his employees have been with the company for many years with very little turnover.

“I’m a firm believer that what got us where we are,” he said, “is our guys, quality guys doing the work.”

Visit davestreeserviceinc.com for a comprehensive explanation of services offered (along with employment opportunities) and an extensive gallery of photos. For more information contact Dave’s Tree Service at 920.823.2259 or [email protected].