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Dave Leonard

Dave ASCA.jpg

ISA Certified Arborist #KY-0147

Board Certified Master Arborist #KY-0147BT

ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist # 346

Certified Tree Risk Assessor 748

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As one of the country's leading authorities in the arboriculture profession, Dave has been promoting tree health care in Lexington, Kentucky for more than 40 years. Dave earned a Forestry degree from the University of Kentucky in 1974. As an active member of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) since 1979, Dave served on ISA's Board of Directors for 18 years. He has also served as both President and Executive Director of ISA's Kentucky Chapter and has been a member of its Board of Directors for 25 years. Dave was part of the team of 10 of the world's best arborists that composed the ISA Arborist Certification exam and the Board Certified Master Arborist exam. He became a registered member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists in 1993.

From Dave:

I am an advocate for trees, both to the public and for my fellow arborists. I promote tree preservation through good tree science. My goal is to keep trees around as long as they are safe, and to share my experience and expertise about trees and their benefits.

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My 40+ years in arboriculture have shown me that:

  1. 80-90% of tree health problems are soil related.

  2. “Planting the right tree in the right place” is a lot more complicated than it seems.

  3. Soil compaction is tree enemy #1!

  4. Good tree structure is also important to tree longevity.

  5. Trees give us many benefits that most people are totally unaware of.

  6. Large mature trees give a lot more benefits than young trees and are more important to preserve.

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Checkout this interview with Joe Aiken and Korey Lofty in their podcast Discovering Forestry:

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