Meet the Crew: Mike Ferguson

We want to know you, and we hope you want to know us. In order to make that happen, we’re going to be introducing you to our staff throughout the year.

Name: Michael Ferguson

Position: Crew Chief

Date started at Casey Trees: 6/2/10

Hometown: Drexel Hill, PA

What’s it like being the tallest person on staff? As the tallest person on staff I get to look at things from a different angle, from my perspective I can see the forest for the trees.

What brought you to Casey Trees? After studying environmental science I spent time as an ecology field tech and an intern at Audubon. Working at Casey Trees allows me to work outdoors and apply my knowledge of trees and the environment.

What’s your favorite part of the job? I enjoy working with the tree planting crew to overcome the many challenges of planting trees in an urban environment. The crews’ camaraderie and shared sense of purpose along with the satisfaction of using mind and body to improve the quality of life in our city is my favorite part of being an urban forester.

What is your role with our summer tree care programs, High School Summer Crew and Water By-Cycle, and why are they important for the District’s trees? This summer will be my third year participating in the HSSC and WBC programs. In years past I have lead truck crews and bike crews with the mission of watering recently planted trees on school grounds, in parks and along streets. Newly planted trees take a few years to become established and recover from transplanting. When trees are harvested from the ground at a nursery they can lose up to 85 percent of their roots and this leaves them in a fragile state after they are replanted. The work of the high school students is important because watering trees during the first 2-3 summers after planting increases their likely hood of survival.

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