Longtime Northbrook Resident Dave Story Recognized With International Award

"Doc." "The Professor." These are just a few of the honorific nicknames clients and colleagues have for Northbrook resident Dave Story, who recently was recognized with a True Professional of Arboriculture award from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) - in part due to his extensive technical knowledge in the field of tree care. Dave is a certified arborist and arborist representative for the Northbrook office of Bartlett Tree Experts who has several North Shore clients, particularly in Lake Forest and Highland Park.

Awardees are selected by a diverse group of experts in arboriculture and approved by ISA's board of directors. Selecting Dave to receive the award was a unanimous decision by the judges. He and seven other awardees from around the world were celebrated during the opening general session of the ISA 92nd Annual International Conference recently in Fort Worth, Texas.

"A True Professional of Arboriculture is someone who is passionate about the industry and their communities, and has high expectations for themselves as well as those around them," said de Gourét Litchfield, ISA board president. "Dave Story has increased visibility for professional arboriculture while promoting the importance of the urban forest. He typifies the enthusiasm, professionalism and love for trees that is one of the uniting factors of ISA members around the world."

Dave's qualifications as a True Professional of Arboriculture came down to three powerful strengths and impacts:

· Extensive technical knowledge

· Unrelenting focus on education

· Advancement of arboriculture by serving as a bridge to other professionals in the green industry

His expertise is widely known among colleagues. "His technical knowledge is the best I've ever seen in the industry," says a 30-year tree care veteran. "He always has experiments going on with the [Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories], whether studying micronutrients, root development, any number of areas of inquiry," says another colleague. "Clients expect him to know everything, and he does."

It goes back to his affinity for science. "I have a passion for this industry that relates back to my strong science background," Dave says. "I try to answer every question that's put to me and challenge myself to understand things. I enjoy talking to other people, especially my customers, and I learn a lot from them in that way."

And they learn a lot from him. "When Dave started caring for my trees," one Lake Forest client said, "we walked my property corner to corner, edge to edge. He told me about tree-root systems, how trees grow, why certain trees should be taken down, why roots were in the sewer system, which trees were particularly precious. He's very knowledgeable and enjoys transferring that knowledge." "He's like a teacher," says another. "Like a book."

His constant focus on education has led to a variety seminars and symposia held by Bartlett Tree Experts for clients, employees and green-industry colleagues, and covering the latest developments in tree care and related fields

Allied green industry professionals are all part of the extensive network Dave has cultivated. Recognizing landscape contractors as key partners, he has spent the past 20+ years building solid and lasting relationships with them. One way has been through his active involvement and leadership in the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association, a commitment that spanned more than a decade. One contractor reports that, "Whenever I go to an industry event, there's Dave. He has built so many friendships over the years that everyone at our industry event knows him."

One of Dave's contractor clients sums it up this way: "He's a titan of the industry."

Founded in 1907 by Francis A. Bartlett and in its third generation of family management, Bartlett Tree Experts (http://www.bartlett.com) has pioneered the science and services that make landscapes thrive. With offices in 27 U.S. states, Canada, Ireland and Great Britain, the company's tree care experts provide a rare mix of local service, global resources and innovative practices that lead the industry. Distinguished by having its own tree research laboratory, Bartlett is the only tree care company in the National Plant Diagnostic Network, a consortium of government agencies and universities providing rapid diagnosis of plant pests and diseases.