Happy client
I love happy clients! Take a look at the text I received last week from one of my residential clients.
Now, the actual pruning was fairly easy. It was a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) with some wild shoots so I pruned it back to shape with my pole pruners. I don’t use power shears on trees, obviously. It would be faster but I don’t recommend it because hand pruned trees look more natural. And I don’t like to see shredded branch tissues.
ISA certification
The text above shows that I was right to get certified as an arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). It’s an international certification and it gives you extra confidence. Imagine if I couldn’t handle a simple pruning job like the one above? I would lose revenue and fun, not to mention blog post ideas. Or imagine I did the pruning but badly? Actually, I don’t want to imagine that.
I think you need two years of experience with trees to sit the exam, in class or online. And your landscaping work qualifies as experience. You don’t necessarily have to work with trees full time.
Once you get certified it’s very likely that your landscape boss will give you a raise. Certification also means that you could walk and get a tree job: tree companies need good workers just like landscaping companies. Personally I did it because I love trees but let’s be honest, there was some pressure when my wife became pregnant.
Baller!
I’ve shared this true story on this site before: my day-job boss picked up a smaller site in White Rock populated by rich people. The strata contract specifically asked for a Red Seal journeyman horticulturist and ISA certified arborist to be present on service days. Sending Red Seal Vas was a no-brainer and, once again, it validated my idea that all landscapers should be ISA certified arborists.
Plus, you will run into potential clients who demand ISA certification. They won’t let just anybody prune their trees.
Revenue
Privately my specialty is landscape maintenance and I do smaller trees: planting and pruning. Please note that I don’t recommend pruning giant trees where there is high risk of injury or death. I don’t want to end up on YouTube as a victim.
If your tree is huge definitely call a tree company for help. They have bucket trucks, tools and insurance.
But I hate missing out on easy extra revenue. I have a few tree pruning jobs lined up for the coming weeks, now that the leaves are off and the crown structure is clearly visible. ISA certification gives me the confidence to upsell and execute these smaller jobs while most landscapers are packing for their winter escape to Mexico.
Do it!
If you work in the green industry, definitely consider getting certified as an arborist. It will boost your confidence and revenue, and make you look good. It can also give you job security when landscaping or lawn care are in the off-season. Winter is a great time to prune trees.
Also, making your residential clients happy feels good.
