Where there is life, there are trees, and where there are trees, there must be life. Tree Surgeons preserve and enhance the well-being of trees and woody shrubs, vines and other perennial woody plants in cities, the countryside and conservation areas. Thereby, they also contribute to enriching the qualit... Continue Reading
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Explore Career Where there is life, there are trees, and where there are trees, there must be life. Tree Surgeons preserve and enhance the well-being of trees and woody shrubs, vines and other perennial woody plants in cities, the countryside and conservation areas. Thereby, they also contribute to enriching the quality of life and the environment.
What are the typical responsibilities of a Tree Surgeon?
A Tree Surgeon works mainly outdoors in public parks and gardens in urban areas and the countryside, on streets and highways, woodlands and forests, and on construction sites and private property. It would help to stay prepared for exposure to all sorts of weather, dusty conditions, working at heights, and physically strenuous work.
Given how dangerous some of their work can be, Tree Climbers must wear safety gear, including helmets, ear protectors, masks, protective boots, gloves, and trousers. In addition to specialised equipment and tools, they also use specialist rope access and positioning systems.
Travel to worksites is required, and some absence from home may be needed depending on the distance of the worksite.
To an extent, a Tree Surgeon’s work may be seasonal, with different activities carried out at different times of the year, depending on the tree species, clients’ needs or natural phenomena, such as storms. However, they typically work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. There may be a need to work during the evenings or weekends and holidays, especially when dealing with emergencies.
Self-employed or freelancing Tree Surgeons may have more flexibility in setting their schedules.
Finding a new job might seem challenging. Tree Surgeons can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, and inquiring at staffing agencies.
Tree Surgeons are generally employed by:
Professional associations and organisations, such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), are crucial for Cloud Architects interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.
Tree Surgeons typically acquire specialised skills and knowledge working in the field. Therefore, it is advisable to begin gaining experience by volunteering with local conservation organisations, tree boards, horticultural groups, or landscaping companies. Field experience will help aspiring Tree Surgeons develop their skill set by teaching them about tree diseases and how to practise diagnosing and treating them. Since organic and pesticide-free solutions are critical to quality tree management, develop and demonstrate your experience with these when you apply for a job.
Apprenticeship is another avenue which helps you develop work experience through a structured training program while being paid for your work.
You can strengthen your job application by providing official work experience documentation and references from current or former employers. If you are self-employed, you may include referrals from your clients and contracts signed with them.
An aspiring Tree Surgeon requires a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent. However, earning a technical diploma or an associate or bachelor’s degree in forestry, horticulture, botany, ecology, soil science, biology, or environmental studies can give you the requisite knowledge and skills and help you advance your career.
Aspiring Tree Surgeons would do well to take high school courses in biology, botany, environmental science, or ecology.
While not mandatory, certification demonstrates a Tree Surgeon’s competence in a skill set, typically through work experience, training, and passing an examination. Certification from an objective and reputed organisation, such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), can help you stand out in a competitive job market, carry a significant salary premium of up to 18 per cent, increase your chances of advancement, and allow you to become an independent consultant. Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics.
To qualify to earn the ISA certification, you must have at least three years of full-time tree care experience, or a combination of experience and education. You may chalk up acceptable experience through arboricultural activities related to pruning & trimming, fertilisation, installation & establishment, diagnosis & treatment of tree issues, cabling & bracing, climbing, or other tree care services. You may also couple a two-year post-secondary qualification in arboriculture with two years of experience, or a four-year degree in a related field with one year of experience. In addition, you must pass the certification exam and undertake the mandatory continuing education to recertify, paying the requisite fees at each stage of the process.
In addition to becoming an ISA Certified Arborist, you may apply for specialised ISA credentials, particularly if you work for utility companies or municipal governments. These include the Certified Arborist Utility Specialist, Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist, Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist, Certified Tree Worker Aerial Lift Specialist, or Board Certified Master Arborist.
Aspiring Tree Surgeons may also need training, certification or licensure to operate specific heavy machinery and use pesticides and other chemicals.
Training on the job may help apprentices acquire knowledge adequate to apply for a license.
Depending on location, specific activities may require to be licensed or receive exemption from licensure, such as felling trees and removing tree stumps or any woodland operations that restrict public access or have a potential impact on protected species. Make sure that any work on a protected tree has been permitted by local authorities. To be allowed to chip, cut, shred, pulverise, burn, compost or store waste plant matter, a business may need either an environmental permit or a waste management licence or official exemption from licensure.
Possessing a driver’s license is helpful, especially if you are self-employed. Check with local or national arboriculture organisations to determine whether and what sort of licensure you need. Individual government entities conduct the licensing process, typically requiring an application, processing fees, an examination, and relevant education and experience.
Tree care is a diverse and dynamic field allowing you to take up different roles, some more specialised or challenging than others and some more field-based than office-based or vice versa. Leading a crew will typically require two to three years of experience.
An aspiring Tree Surgeon may begin as a Grounds Person or Tree Maintenance Associate, with or without a relevant academic background. You will likely work as a Climbing Arborist some time in your career, carrying out various types of pruning, and, given your expertise, you may lead the team. If you choose to work as a Plant Healthcare Technician, you will maintain healthy trees and shrubs in an urban environment less conducive to their well-being than their natural habitat.
With experience, you can become a professional Arborist Representative. Instead of physically strenuous field responsibilities, you will liaise with residential clients, architects, builders and developers to provide advice on tree care. If you become a Tree Consultant, you will not be required to manage all the trees on a site. Instead, you will review the health of the specific ones that clients wish you to assess.
As a Pesticide Applicator, you may also specialise in protecting plants from insects and other dangers.
Extensive expertise, higher academic qualifications, ISA certification, and advanced training may help you take up supervisory and managerial roles as an Arborist. Once you build a solid network and reputation for excellence, you may launch your own company or enter consultancy.
If you wish to extend your experience to other fields, you could pursue tree climbing as outdoor recreation, taking people to treetops as an adventurous activity.
If you prefer not to work outdoors but still engage with arboriculture, you may work as an Agricultural Technician in a laboratory, analysing samples for tree diseases and storing them for future reference, along with measuring the performance of agricultural products.
Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in arboriculture or a related field, advanced training, experience, athletic abilities, and a proven track record have the best job prospects.
Continuing professional development (CPD) will help an active Tree Surgeon build personal skills and proficiency through work-based learning, a professional activity,
formal education, or self-directed learning. It allows you to upskill continually, regardless of your age, job, or level of knowledge, so that you can help shape the future of tree care.
Despite any experience you may have had in the field, you will learn about safety, equipment, and ground and canopy techniques by working under a supervisor and other experienced colleagues during on-the-job training, which can last up to two or three years. However, staying current with the latest tools and technologies and safety protocols is key to progression.
If you do not have post-secondary qualifications, you may acquire an associate or bachelor’s degree in arboriculture, horticulture, botany, forestry, environmental science, or a related field. Typically, arboriculture and horticulture programs include tree surgery courses. Or you may undertake specialist tree surgery courses offered by vocational colleges.
You may also add ISA certification and various other credentials to your portfolio to gain a competitive edge in the job market. You could certify in tree climbing, tree care, aerial lift, grounds operations, and acquire various safety-oriented and machinery operator credentials. Online or in-person courses in communication and leadership will also help you interact with clients and supervise your crew effectively.
Roles Related to that of a Tree Surgeon
A Grounds Person or Tree Maintenance Associate assists senior personnel in pruning and removing trees and shrubs while learning to operate hand tools and heavy machinery, such as chainsaws, and other equipment, such as ropes, ladders and harnesses. Once you understand the rigging systems, you may be allowed to help control the rigging ropes and pull lines. You also learn about compartmentalisation in trees and appropriate pruning practices to minimise exposure to decay.
A Climbing Arborist specialises in removing deadwood, thinning, reducing or raising crowns, and reducing the weight of specific branches. You might also remove trees of various sizes and with different degrees of challenges, using rigging systems as needed. Achieving efficiency in climbing takes courage, time, dedication, and careful observation of techniques with utmost regard to safety. Your work is likely to differ daily, from installing lightning protection systems in tall or significant trees to bracing or supporting the canopy. Given your expertise, you will likely lead the team.
A Plant Healthcare Technician applies various tools and techniques to trees and woody shrubs in the urban environment. You must be versatile in your knowledge of plant identification, soil science, and pests and diseases where you work. Then you can develop a program to tackle problems through preventative care, pruning, spray applications of pesticides, fertilisation, root invigoration, and identifying issues such as girdling roots.
A professional Arborist Representative does not necessarily carry out physically strenuous field responsibilities. Instead, you liaise with residential clients, architects, builders and developers to provide advice on tree care. In addition to a thorough knowledge of arboriculture theory and practical skills, you also need excellent communication and people skills that enable you to listen to clients’ requirements and provide solutions that meet those needs.
A Tree Consultant addresses clients’ worries for insurance claims or as part of pre-development or pre-construction processes. Your work is more theory-based than practical. As part of your review, you study the environment and specific trees to evaluate if the trees pose any risk and to what extent. If they do, you recommend appropriate and feasible follow-up action.
A Pesticide Applicator works with fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides as vapours, chemical applications, dust, and sprays. You choose and apply the suitable material to trees and woody plants and shrubs depending on the problem to eliminate while strictly abiding by safety protocols to avoid dangerous exposure to the chemicals.
Tree Surgeon vs Arborist
The two roles in the field of tree care are often thought of as the same, and the titles are used interchangeably. There is a significant overlap in the work that Tree Surgeons and arborists do and the extensive knowledge and experience each requires. However, arborists typically hold higher and more formal educational qualifications and certification than Tree Surgeons, who may learn the trade more from working in the field than in a classroom. The specific title and duties of your job may eventually depend on the tree services provider you work for.
In general, arborists are specialists and practitioners in arboriculture or the study, cultivation and management of trees. They study the structure and functions of trees, their growth and cultivation, how they react to pruning, the diseases that affect them, and the process of decay. They also research shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrology and horticulture.
The role of arborists is similar to that of a family doctor in that they assess and manage the overall health of individual trees, detecting signs of current or potential disease or insect infestation and developing a treatment or prevention plan. They may then hand over their diagnosis and course of treatment to Tree Surgeons to execute. Arborists also provide advice on what types of trees should be planted in specific environmental surroundings.
Tree Surgeons are skilled in trimming and pruning different kinds of trees. Just like surgery on humans and animals, tree surgery requires a skilled, trained and experienced hand, specialised tools, and the knowledge and pursuit of precise processes. Tree Surgeons also carry out skilled and precise tree removal in ways that do not cause damage to neighbouring trees or buildings. Furthermore, Tree Surgeons often work in dangerous situations, and an untrained individual cannot be trusted with the job.
Arborist vs Forester
An arborist is concerned with the well-being of individual plants and trees, while foresters are experts in the art and science of managing forests.
The Benefits of Trees
Given that there are over 60,000 known tree species on earth, it is vital to be aware of the tremendous contribution of trees to making our planet habitable. Trees contribute to improved water quality by filtering rainfall. Two mature trees can sustain the oxygen requirements for four people. They also reduce noise, air and water pollution and prevent soil erosion and flooding.
Studies show that being in an environment where trees abound can lower blood pressure, pulse rate and stress. It is also reported that patients with a view of trees from their room in a medical facility may heal faster and get discharged sooner.
Furthermore, there appears to be growing evidence of the inverse relationship between crime and green spaces with plenty of trees.
Mature trees may also increase property value. Plus, even four strategically planted trees in your garden may sizeably slash down your energy bills, primarily by reducing air conditioning needs.
A Few More Interesting Facts About Trees
Some trees need vast quantities of water - a large oak tree can guzzle up more than 350 litres a day. The coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) are the tallest among the world’s trees. The often-used saying “knock on wood” refers to ancient practices centred around the belief that good spirits inhabit trees.
If a tree could talk, it might tell the story of life. Tree Surgeons are the closest to those who can understand at least some of what a tree says about itself and its needs. They are professionals with deep knowledge of how to keep trees strong and healthy. Their specialised skills play a vital role in preserving and enriching the natural beauty and safety of properties and areas populated with trees.
A stitch in time saves nine and keeps you safe. Make sure to maintain your tools between jobs to minimise downtime, avoid inconvenience when you are several metres above the ground, and eliminate the extra cost of replacing equipment. Plan a maintenance schedule and follow it. Carry out preventative checks and sharpen your handsaws before heading out to work. Use your equipment only for its intended use. After each job, clean and dry your equipment to prevent mildew and dry rot. Upkeep your work vehicles as well.
Trees warn each other of impending insect attacks using an underground fungi network. They adopt protective mechanisms, such as folding or shedding their leaves, in response to distress signals.
A Tree Surgeon would typically need to:
Accredited
$78,563
