When it comes to a tree care professional, you can choose from various types. A homeowner or any property owner can get confused as who to call and who does what. It helps to read more on the role of a tree arborist and different tree care professionals.
First off you have to know what an arborist is and how it differs from a forester. The arborist takes care of the health of individual trees while a forester is responsible for the management of the population of trees. It also handles timber production and other wood products.
Two Types of Arborists
The tree arborist is highly focused on the health of individual trees that grow on private properties. Arborists can be categorized into two: practicing and consulting arborists.
The practicing arborist is known as the commercial arborist. This is the type of tree care professional that most people think of when they hear the word arborist. A practicing arborist can offer the following services: pruning, removal, planting, pesticide application, and fertilization.
Consulting arborists as their name implies are primarily consultants when it comes to tree care affairs. They offer tree care recommendations to improve the health and safety of trees. A number of homeowners and property managers usually retain the services of a consulting arborist when they need an expert individual opinion on various tree care issues. Apart from offering tree care recommendations, consulting arborists may also offer tree risk assessments, litigation support services, tree value appraisals, and expert witness testimony. They may possess the ISA or state certifications and they may also be members of the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA).
ISA Certified Arborists
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is responsible for overseeing the credentials of the ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, and ISA Certified Tree Worker. This will clearly identify who to call a professional tree arborist. The ISA Certified Tree Worker possesses the skills and knowledge required for working with a team to provide tree care services. The ISA Certified Arborist requires a level of education, passing an examination, and professional skills to handle various aspects of arboriculture such as pruning, safe work practices, diagnosis and treatment, tree protection, and tree risk management. The highest level of certification offered by the ISA is the ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA). Attaining this certification is the pinnacle of an arborist’s success. This certification requires passing a scenario-based examination and adherence to a professional Code of Ethics. Less than two percent of ISA Certified Arborists received the BCMA certification.
For all these types of professional tree care professionals, it is significant to look for passion for dealing with trees as a special attribute. After all, what separates them from other people is their understanding of the existence of trees and what they require for growth.
