Our Business	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Our Business	Our Business We provide a wide range of arboriculture, horticulture, environmental and consulting services to residential, utility, commercial and government entities throughout the United States and Canada. Our operating segments are organized by type or class of customer: Residential and Commercial Services, and Utility Services. Residential and Commercial Services--Residential and Commercial Services provides services to our residential and commercial customers including: the treatment, preservation, maintenance, removal, planting of trees, shrubs and other plant life; the practice of landscaping, grounds maintenance, tree surgery, tree feeding and tree spraying; the application of fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides; and, natural resource management and consulting, forestry research and development, and environmental planning. Utility Services--Utility Services is principally engaged in providing services to our utility customers--investor-owned, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives--including: the practice of line-clearing and vegetation management around power lines, rights-of-way and chemical brush control; and, natural resource management and consulting, forestry research and development and environmental planning. We also maintain research, technical support and laboratory diagnostic facilities. When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Davey Tree,” and the “Company,” we mean The Davey Tree Expert Company, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Our Business

We provide a wide range of arboriculture, horticulture, environmental and consulting services to residential, utility, commercial and government entities throughout the United States and Canada. Our operating segments are organized by type or class of customer: Residential and Commercial Services, and Utility Services.

Residential and Commercial Services--Residential and Commercial Services provides services to our residential and commercial customers including: the treatment, preservation, maintenance, removal, planting of trees, shrubs and other plant life; the practice of landscaping, grounds maintenance, tree surgery, tree feeding and tree spraying; the application of fertilizer, herbicides and insecticides; and, natural resource management and consulting, forestry research and development, and environmental planning.

Utility Services--Utility Services is principally engaged in providing services to our utility customers--investor-owned, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives--including: the practice of line-clearing and vegetation management around power lines, rights-of-way and chemical brush control; and, natural resource management and consulting, forestry research and development and environmental planning.

We also maintain research, technical support and laboratory diagnostic facilities.

When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Davey Tree,” and the “Company,” we mean The Davey Tree Expert Company, unless the context indicates otherwise.