I believe that all professional landscapers should be ISA certified arborists. Yes, it requires three years of field experience and a written test but the benefits are many. Very many.
Sign-off authority
I recently picked-up sign-off authority from the BC ITA (Industry Training Authority) which allows me to sign-off on apprentice papers showing that they went through field training with me. This wouldn’t be possible without my ISA certification and experience.
When I became an arborist in 2006 I had no idea that one day I would be helping apprentices get their arborist technician trade papers. I just knew they would enjoy the pleasure of my company.
First graduate
The graduation of our first in-house arborist technician inspired this blog post. The whole process worked really well. Here’s what happened.
I worked together with our young apprentice all year in the field and our boss made sure we had enough tree work. We usually have tons of tree pruning, stump grinding and tree removal work.
Then, in winter the apprentice went to school, no doubt sipping hot chocolate in class while we worked outside in the cold. The key to this step is sponsorship from the employer which involves a significant financial commitment.
Of course, the employer gets a trained arborist technician who will make him money from tree work that would normally be off-loaded to tree companies. It works well.
From what I’ve heard the schooling is excellent. It was at least six weeks long with classroom and practical sessions.
I could tell right away how much more confident our apprentice was with the chainsaw. And he was lucky because the boss bought him brand new Stihl equipment, including a new chainsaw that’s exclusively his. It doesn’t get shuffled around like some of the other antiques I have to use. Again, this involves a significant financial outlay.
Vas effect
My contribution wasn’t just technical hands-on work. I pointed out details about trees in general, including important books to read and we practiced tree identification. Our boss likes to test our tree knowledge, too, so we have to be ready.
I also stressed the point that certification is really a starting point. There is so much to learn and the learning must be continuous.
Conclusion
Congratulations to our new arborist technician! He did extremely well with great support from his boss. I also helped a little my field training and sign-off.
If you are interested in becoming an arborist technician definitely sign-up for this program and find a good employer to sponsor you. I think he whole thing works really well.
