IAA Internship Stories: Marcus Maxwell

November 4, 2015

Marcus Maxwell, a second year Landscape Management student at the Institute of Applied Agriculture, completed his internship over the summer with Bartlett Tree Experts. By interning at the Gaithersburg, Maryland office, Maxwell gained the skills needed to work in the tree service industry and the ability to apply classroom knowledge to the field. 

Working in various departments within Bartlett, Maxwell performed many tasks including tree injections, maintenance and removal, and site inspections. However, he found tree tapping to be the most interesting. He tapped into trees to inject their trunks and roots with various fungicides and fertilizers. On the other hand, he found tree maintenance and removal to be the hardest, yet most rewarding job. Maxwell admits that while tree removal can be physically intensive and seemingly dangerous, “working with a professional crew, using all the safety equipment provided and following all safety protocols made it relatively safe.”

While interning with Bartlett, Maxwell learned to “tie and rope” up into trees, to properly use injecting equipment, and to identify pests, stress, and symptoms of trees that he had not previously known. He believes many of these skills can only be learned on the job. Several times, he was asked to operate machinery and taught to use power equipment he had not previously worked with. During the summer, Maxwell was honored to do tree work at the White House, which required special clearance and protocol. 

Maxwell found his summer internship with Bartlett rewarding. He learned new skills, strengthened ones he already had, and applied classroom knowledge. He gained on-the-job experience and insights into how a tree service company operates. 

When asked about what long-term effect the internship has had on him, Maxwell said he learned that of all tree-related work he prefers doing site and plant inspections. He credited Bartlett further by stating that “the internship really reinforced my career goals of being in a management position.”