What Is an Arborist

Most arborists enjoyed climbing trees and playing in tree houses when they were children. While arboriculture is indeed the dream job for lovers of plants, chainsaws, and climbing equipment, there is more to the profession than most people think. The truth is that when you call for tree service Waterloo, the person who will show up on your property is a highly trained professional with extraordinary skills and education under his or her climbing belt. 

Skills

Arborists are willing to use their ropes and rigging techniques to climb higher into the canopy and to put themselves in situations more precarious than the average person feels comfortable with. They clear branches around utility lines, brace trees with cables, and remove dangling limbs. This is why the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks their risk of injury as being higher than in most professions. Arborists are by no means reckless, but a little bit of danger is just part of the job. 

Besides using their knowledge of plant anatomy to know where and when to prune, arborists must also calculate trajectories of felled limbs in ways reminiscent of word problems back in high school geometry class. They identify tiny tree-eating insects with the fascination of an entomologist and diagnose diseases with the concern of a tree doctor. Arborists are also skilled at analyzing soil and knowing how to plant a tree in the right place so that it will grow straight and tall.

Education

How do arborists acquire the skills described above? While some have degrees in arboriculture or forestry, they acquire the most important parts of their education through intensive certification programs. They have to study hard because they must pass a 3-1/2-hour, 220-question test on topics as diverse as soil management, safety, biology, pruning, urban forestry, and tree protection. If they want to be able to use pesticides when necessary, they need to take even more tests. 

With this amount of training, arborists are not just landscapers or maintenance workers; they are true professionals in every sense of the word. Most belong to the International Society of Arboriculture, which offers even higher specialization and holds members accountable to a high standard of service. Their level of education and expertise is why lawyers often call arborists to be expert witnesses in court when trees damage personal property or injure someone.

Job Duties

If you ask arborists what they did at work today, you might be surprised at the answer. Here are just a few examples of a day on the job:

• Appraised values of trees in a property insurance claim.
• Removed a limb dangling on a power line.
• Planted shrubs to help stabilize a mature tree.
• Safely remove or assist with leaning trees after a snowstorm.
• Evaluated the severity of trees suffering from frost cracks.

Even if you consider yourself to have a green thumb or to be handy with a chainsaw, arborists can do things for your trees that you probably never considered. They can help you avoid pruning at the wrong time of year or with equipment that will damage your trees. They can evaluate old or damaged trees and make recommendations to keep them alive or remove them safely. They can also help you nurture a new stand.

Martin’s Tree Service

Don’t try to do the work of an arborist on your own when there are friendly, trained professionals ready to do what they do best. You can trust the arborists at Martin’s Tree Service to give an honest appraisal of steps necessary to maintain the health of your trees, eliminate snags, or start over with some new saplings. Call us or fill out our online form to request a quote today.