Aboriculturist

What is an Arboriculturist?

Arboriculture takes into account several different areas of work. Sometimes you might be referred to as a tree surgeon, an arboricultural officer, or a forestry worker. The root of the role, however, is taking care and maintaining tree, bush and shrub life. You might work in the following landscapes:

• Forests and woodlands
• Private estates
• Rural areas, such as small villages or towns
• Urban areas

People who work with trees are usually referred to as arborists or “arbs” for short. The terms arborist and arb are occasionally used to mean arboriculturist, so make sure to search ‘arb jobs’, ‘arborist jobs’ and ‘arboriculturist job’ when doing your research.

You’ll usually specialise in a particular area of work. These can include:

• Tree preservation, such as maintaining large protected woodlands.
• Tree surgery – cutting down, trimming, or solving issues such as large boughs or branches breaking.
• Planning – organising planting new trees in a housing development or adding trees and shrubs to a new city area.
• Surveying and inspection, deciding if certain trees require moving or taking down based on safety concerns.

• Cutting, thinning and potentially removing trees.
• Identifying any hazards or safety concerns and acting on them.
• Keeping up a good working knowledge of tree types, their needs and potential issues.
• Producing reports for clients, councils, and regulatory woodland bodies around tree health.
• Producing reports for insurance and mortgage companies, if a tree is likely to cause damage to property, encourage particular forms of wildlife, or cause subsidence on land plots.
• Servicing key equipment, like chainsaws.
• Supporting planning for where tree life should go within urban areas, advising the most sustainable way to carry out planting, and assessing the success of overall planting efforts.

• Entry levels, such as apprentices and technicians, can expect a salary range of around £15,000 - £20,000.
• Highly skilled arborists, especially those who have specialised in a particular field, can expect to attract salaries of £30,000 to £40,000.
• More experienced arborists, tree surgeons, and forestry workers can expect salaries between £25,000 and £35,000. Jobs in the South East and London are likely to attract a higher salary.

A degree is not essential to access arboricultural jobs, but it is helpful. Many people choose this route as it includes essential certifications and experience you’ll need to act legally as an arboriculturist.

College courses and university degrees all cover the relevant information you’ll need to apply for an arboriculture role. The following arboriculture degree subjects are worth more research if this is something that interests you:

• Arboriculture
• Agriculture
• Biology
• Conservation
• Ecology
• Horticulture

The Royal Forestry Society is a great resource for looking at the selection of college and higher education institutions available to you to study towards arboriculturist and arborist roles. Key institutions offering degree-level study for forestry include Bangor University, the University of Cumbria’s National School of Forestry, Myerscough College and Inverness College UHI.

If you prefer the idea of an arborist apprenticeship or a tree surgery apprenticeship, there are several options available to you. You can view the government’s recent new Forestry Apprenticeship and other Arborist apprenticeships.

If you prefer not to follow formal education routes, you can also complete certification with City and Guilds alongside building up around three years of experience. You’ll also need to complete certifications on the handling of key tools, like chainsaws.

Once you have carried out your initial training, much of your development happens on the job as you rise from more junior roles to more experienced ones within a company.

Many arboriculturists join professional bodies such as the Royal Forestry Society or the Institute of Chartered Foresters. Membership offers networking opportunities, news updates and seminars with professionals in your industry.

An employed role in this sector will require prior experience in forestry, conservation…