How Home Runs Help Plant Trees: Partnership with the Cleveland Guardians

Sandee Reid, Davey’s vice president of corporate communications and strategic planning, talks about Davey’s partnership with the Cleveland Guardians and why reestablishing the tree canopy is so important. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What is Swing for the Trees? (0:46)
• Which trees are planted through the program? (1:18)
• Where are the trees planted? (2:00)
• How the partnership began (2:32)
• Earth Week Sponsorship (3:42)
• Sandee's ceremonial first pitch (5:28)
• Why the Guardians? (5:45)
• Davey's other sports partnerships (6:50)
• Davey's excitement for home runs and plantings (7:40)
• When plantings occur (8:23)
• The importance of tree canopies (9:07)
• The legacy of trees (10:05)
• Sandee's Davey Tree journey (11:56)

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

To learn more about the Swing for the Trees partnership, read our press releases about the program.

Connect with Davey Tree on social media:
Twitter: @DaveyTree
Facebook: @DaveyTree
Instagram: @daveytree
YouTube: The Davey Tree Expert Company
LinkedIn: The Davey Tree Expert Company 

Connect with Doug Oster at www.dougoster.com. 

Have topics you'd like us to cover on the podcast? Email us at podcasts@davey.com. We want to hear from you!    

Transcript

Doug Oster: Welcome to the Davey Tree Expert Company's podcast, Talking Trees. I'm your host, Doug Oster. Each week, our expert arborists share advice on seasonal tree care, how to make your trees thrive, arborists' favorite trees, and much, much more. Tune in every Thursday to learn more because here at the Talking Trees podcast, we know trees are the answer. I'm very happy to welcome back Sandy Reid. She is the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning for the Davey Tree Expert Company based in Kent, Ohio. Sandy, thanks for coming back on the show.

Sandra Reid: It's great to be back, Doug.

Doug: We're going to talk about something really cool, something that I'm really excited about called Swing for the Trees. Tell me what that's all about.

Sandra: Swing for the Trees is a tree planting partnership that the Davey Company has with the Cleveland Guardians, a team near and dear to your heart. It's a program where for every home run that's hit by a Guardians player, either home and away games, Davey pledges to plant a tree someplace in Northeast Ohio.

Doug: When did this begin?

Sandra: It began in the '22 season, so this'll be our third season.

Doug: How many trees over those years have been planted?

Sandra: There's been 316 trees that have been planted through this program already.

Doug: Is it like all the same tree or are different trees planted?

Sandra: This is a key aspect of all of our planting programs. They're native trees. They follow the city tree plan in Cleveland, the Cleveland Tree Coalition with Western Reserve Land Conservancy and Davey Resource Group put together a city tree plan. There's planting recommendations that are within that. Then also we follow Dr. Dan Herms' guidance on changing climate and what that's going to do for trees.

Doug: Where do you plant them? Is it just in the city proper?

Sandra: We plant them throughout Northeast Ohio. Essentially Guardians, charities, partners were given the opportunity to request trees. There's a variety of locations from baseball fields, youth baseball fields, to Girl Scout camps, to nonprofit organization headquarters, to some of the nonprofit organizations, some of their group homes.

Doug: How did Davey get hooked up with the Guardians on this project?

Sandra: The Davey company has been working with the Guardians for a number of years. We actually have taken care of the trees that are out in the outfield and then also the trees around the stadium. We've got quite a history with the Guardians, but we had been talking for a number of years about their interest in participating in a sustainability initiative and our interest in expanding our sustainability partnerships in the Cleveland area. It came together in a great way with the Guardians.

Doug: I got a trick question for you. Which one of these fields is better to see a game in? There in Cleveland at the Guardians or in PNC Park in Pittsburgh?

Sandra: That is a trick question. That's tough for me. That's not even a fair question. They're both great for different reasons. My heart's in Pittsburgh, but I certainly love a good game at Progressive Field.

Doug: Yes, when Progressive Field opened, it was just amazing to see. Then when I moved here to Pittsburgh and seen PNC Park, they're both great parks. Back to work, tell me a little bit about the Earth Week sponsorship. What is that?

Sandra: The Guardians gave us the opportunity this year to be the presenting sponsor of Earth Week. This week, the Guardians will be playing the Boston Red Sox, and our first place, Cleveland Guardians, hopefully, will sweep them this week and have a number of home runs. Some of the features of the game on the 24th will be we have a Davey employee, Dan Joy, who will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. It might be a tree pitch, I don't know. We also have some in-game player scorecard features where some of the Guardians' players were asked questions about trees during spring training, and those will be featured on the scoreboard during the game. We have one of our first Davey nights in the brand new Pennant District group area. We'll have a number of Davey teammates that will be joining us for that night and enjoying the Cleveland skyline and a Guardians' win.

Doug: I know Dan, and I think that's a lot of pressure to throw out a first pitch. Is he training for it?

Sandra: Oh, yes, he absolutely is in training for it. Both Pat Covey, our CEO, and myself have also previously thrown out the first pitch. We've got a little internal competition here on this. Dan is this weekend warming up with one of his grandchildren, working on his pitch. We're looking forward to that. As well as one of the things, pregame, we have an activation table out in the outfield where we'll be handing out some tremendous trees totes, and we'll have some of our local arborists on hand to answer questions about trees.

Doug: When you threw out the first pitch, was it nerve wracking or was it just, ah, it'll be fine?

Sandra: It was a little nerve wracking. That home plate is further away than you think. They offered me the opportunity to stand in front of the mound, but if I was going to do it, I wanted to do it legit.

Doug: Oh, that's awesome. Why specifically did Davey get involved in this partnership, like Swing for the Trees?

Sandra: I think Davey, wherever we are located, is really committed to participating in the needs of the communities, particularly with reforestation. In Cleveland, you know being from the area, Cleveland used to be known as the forest city and has lost canopy cover. One of the things that the Cleveland Tree Coalition and all the partners that are part of that organization have been focused on is increasing Cleveland tree canopy by 30%, by 2040.

We've been involved in a number of events to do that, but the partnership with the Guardians gave us the opportunity to increase awareness of the benefits of trees and the need for tree canopy with a new audience. The Guardians certainly have a passion for the environment. Their leadership team does this and was willing to work with us from a community partnership standpoint to bring awareness of trees and actively contribute to the canopy cover increase.

Doug: I know that we've talked before, the Guardians aren't the only team that you guys partner with, right?

Sandra: That's correct. In Cleveland, we also have Threes for Trees with our Cavaliers that are entering into the playoffs starting tomorrow. In Pittsburgh, we have Score for the Trees with the Pens. One of the things that we were hoping to do and are still hoping to do is we started the programs with the Cavs and the Guardians within Northeast Ohio, and we expanded to Pittsburgh and we are looking at other cities where we find a good fit to help with canopy cover, get our employees involved in the tree planting from a participation standpoint, and then also work with strong partners like in Pittsburgh with Tree Pittsburgh, who is our partner for that project, and help improve the canopy and achieve the goals that the cities need for more trees.

Doug: Is it a different feeling for you and the other people at Davey when you start to see the home runs add up through the season? I think it would be even more exciting than just being a fan of the Guardians.

Sandra: Oh, absolutely. We have a lot of fun internal competitions. We just had our strategic leadership team meeting yesterday and one of the things that we do at the beginning of the season is we do our own little guess on how many home runs there's going to be. We have a friendly competition around that. We track through trackers internally where we currently are with home runs and you hear some extra cheers at games when you see somebody wearing a Davey hat, when it's a home run or a three-point shot or a goal scored by the Pens.

Doug: A technical question. With the baseball season, you're going to be into July and August, not the best planting times. Do you just at the end of the season schedule a time for planting? How does that work? Or are they planting at different times?

Sandra: That's a great question. We actually have a planting season. For the Guardians plantings, those happen in the spring of the following season or the following year. With the Cavs, those plantings happen in the fall. We schedule those based on the best time because you're correct. The right time, the right place, and the right aftercare are all essential elements to these programs.

Doug: Our theme for the podcast is Trees are the Answer. Let's talk a little bit about the importance of reestablishing the tree canopy, not only in Cleveland but in Pittsburgh too.

Sandra: Yes, absolutely. It's so essential because you know, Doug, that trees around schools, that's already proven, that people learn better. Trees around hospitals and healthcare institutions have people have better healing. Trees around shopping malls have people spend more. Trees around a corporate office have people happy and engaged to be there. It's so, so important that our cities, particularly areas where there's less tree canopy, that we know that a treed area is one that has less crime. We know that people are happy, less depressed. We want to make sure that these programs help these areas have more canopy so that we can have a happier life for everyone.

Doug: Talk a little bit about the legacy of planting trees because this is important. You're putting the trees in for three seasons and I'm sure this will continue, but 10 years down the road, 20 years down the road, these trees are going to provide shade and oxygen. That's a pretty important thing.

Sandra: Yes, it is. I think it was Warren Buffett that said, "The best time to plant a tree is today. The only better time was yesterday." I think we all think about that all the time. Certainly the legacy of planting trees and then seeing them grow for the future is the best thing that we can all do. I think one of the elements of our programs that we also are pretty proud of is educating people on the benefits of proper planting, particularly students. Many of these planting events will include students. We certainly like them to participate in that.

One of the highlights last year for us with the Guardians' plantings, where there is a baseball renovation field project in Cleveland that's now been named Jose Ramirez Field, that was a partnership between Jose Ramirez and the Guardians and the city of Cleveland, and Davey actually planted trees there. We're actually this year putting an additional 30 trees there in honor of the number of home runs that Jose had last season, because Jose led the team in home runs and has a great bat.

There will be some additional trees this year going to Jose Ramirez Field. That's where the Guardians RBI teams, both men and young women, play their games and also Cleveland Metropolitan Schools. The enjoyment of these trees is even beyond those who have planted them or participated in them. That will be better shade for all those who will be watching the games and then certainly better canopy cover for Cleveland in an area where there wasn't much shade before.

Doug: Sandy, I ask arborists when I'm doing this podcast this question, and so I'm going to surprise you with it. How did you get into this and why is this job right for you?

Sandra: Doug, I grew up in Kent and my first entree into the Davey Company was, I think, foreshadowed. Across from our corporate office was an elementary school that's now part of our seed campus project. I was participating in a summer enrichment program that was an environmental program, and we did a play, The Wump World, and my first acting assignment and last was as a tree. I think I was destined to work for Davey, and came to the Davey Company after college and there's been no place else that's been better for me from a standpoint of opportunity, the ability to learn and grow and be a part of something where the employee ownership aspect is a wonderful one where you can own a stake in the company that you work for and work with teams that are just a joy to see them grow and advance.

Doug: Before I let you go, just tell me the good feelings you get from doing a project like Swing for the Trees.

Sandra: There's nothing better. Next week is what we consider our national holiday here, Earth Week and Arbor Day, National Arbor Day, and we have events just about every day. I think one of the highlights for our teams are actually going out, being able to get our hands dirty, participate with kids, show a child who has never had the ability to put their hands in the soil what that's like, and then later, go back and see how that tree is doing and has grown and consider that part of the evolving canopy cover, which is part of our goal for all. Nothing better. Trees are the answer.

Doug: All right, Sandy. When the Guardians make the playoffs, maybe we should talk again and see what the final number is from this season.

Sandra: That's great, Doug, and maybe you can throw out the first pitch.

Doug: Thanks again, Sandy. It was great to talk to you.

Sandra: Always great to talk to you, Doug.

Doug: I'll tell you what, I'd be so nervous for a week if I had to throw out a first pitch. That was fun. What a great project. Now tune in every Thursday to the Talking Trees podcast from the Davey Tree Expert Company. I am your host, Doug Oster, and do me a big favor, subscribe to this podcast, so you'll never miss a show. If you've got an idea for an episode, maybe a comment, send us an email to podcasts@davey.com. That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T-S@D-A-V-E-Y.com. As always, we like to remind you on the Talking Trees podcast, as Sandy said, trees are the answer.

[00:14:51] [END OF AUDIO]