Arborist / Urban Forester / Tree Service Technician
- What Does Working as an Arborist Look Like?
- Arborist Salary and Forecast
- What Education is Required to Work as an Arborist?
- Arborist Job Opportunities
What Does Working as an Arborist Look Like?
Unafraid of heights? Love the great outdoors? Care about tree health? Pursue a career as an arborist, urban forester or tree service technician.
If you pursue this career, you will most likely do the following:
- Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, to care for trees to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks or utilities or to improve appearance, health and value of trees.
- Prune trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers and power pruners.
- Works off the ground in the tree canopy or use truck-mounted lifts.
- Supervise others engaged in tree trimming work and train lower-level employees.
- Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers and other equipment and tools.
- Clean, sharpen and lubricate tools and equipment.
- Assess tree health and risk.
- Maintain the health of trees with proper fertilization and pest management.
To work in this field, you need to understand horticultural science and safety basics.
Arborist Salary and Forecast
Salaries vary across this industry, dependent on location, scope and demand. Those working arborist jobs earn a national median salary of $35,030; those working urban forester jobs can expect to earn a median salary of $63,020.
Job opportunities across the nation are forecasted to grow at a rate of 8.4% per year. Opportunities in North Carolina are predicted to grow at a rate of 5.6% per year.
What Education is Required to Work as an Arborist?
Wondering what it takes to become an arborist? Some positions require a post-secondary certificate, a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree; other positions do not. Urban foresters typically have a bachelor’s degree, and about a quarter of urban foresters have a master’s degree or graduate level certificate.
Arborist Job Opportunities
There are many different types of related arborist jobs to choose from. The following are just a few of the common job titles graduates of horticultural science programs qualify for:
- Arborist
- Line Clearance Foreman
- Tree Care Foreman
- Tree Climber
- Tree Pest Technician
- Urban Forester
- Tree Service Technician
Explore urban forester and arborist job opportunities.
Ready to Get Started?
Use your skills and knowledge to make beautiful plants grow. Jumpstart your career by applying to a horticultural science certificate or program today.
