Arborist

**Arborist**

Job Description:
What an arborist literally does is take care of trees and shrubs. Their core duties involve planting, pruning, watering, and trimming the trees they are assigned to taking care of. Arborists work with trees in forests, parks, homes, public buildings, and anywhere else that they grow. The amount of work and the kind of work they do depends on the season. During the winter arborists perform tree removing and pruning. During the summer and spring they aerate the soil and fertilize the trees. Arborists usually work full- time through every season and any weather. They will work as much as 16 hours a day if need be.

Education:
Requirements to become an arborist vary depending on your employer. In some stated to become an arborist you must first obtain a license, and the education needed to obtain the license also depends on the state. To increase your chances of being hired by utility companies you can take classes and courses to get a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in the following: arboriculture, horticulture, forestry, or landscape architecture. City and state departments may also look for someone with some formal education. If you go to a smaller company, they may hire you even if you know nothing of the subject and they will train you on the spot.

Salary:
Entry wage- $11.38/hour or $23,670/year Mid-level wage- $13.53/hour or $28,140/year Advanced wage- $19.89/hour or $41,370/year

The way you get paid all depends on where you work. If you work for a state or city department you will have a time card that gets punched and your paycheck is directly deposited to your bank account. While if you work for a small business everything is simply punch-in and punch-out and receive a paper check at the end of a week or two (depends).

Typical Day:
What I can see is that an arborist begins work bright and early around 7 a.m each day. They report to an office where they are given a list of that day’s work. They must then prepare the equipment that will be needed. Then you head to your first job site which you must evaluate and strive to meet the goals that the customer has set for you. The job may take from half an hour to 3 or 4 hours depending on how big the job is. Lunch is taken around the same time each day and it is a paid lunch. Then off again to another job site or two. Around 5 or 6 in the evening you head off to the office again to report and turn in papers to the secretary from that day.

Job Availability:
The average of openings in Wisconsin for an arborist is 20. There isn’t a need for many of these professionals. There were a few ads looking for an arborist of some sort, which I could find in Vilas County. With the infestation of new bugs arborists are in dire need in the Southwest. The outlook overall for the arborist occupation in that job opportunities should be available at a consistent rate and may increase up to 26%.

Tools of the Trade:
Some of the tools needed are chippers, grinders, climbing harnesses,pruners, helmets, hand saws, machetes, pruners, shears, ropes, bags, gloves, and climbing boots. All of this should be provided by your employer. The company should also borrow you out a vehicle of some kind.

Agencies/Companies Info:
Klessig Tree Service LLP- (715)-479-9645 Lumber Jack’s Tree Service- (715)-479-8733 Great Northern Tree Service- (715)-358-3138 __

Resources: www.careercruising.com www.yellowpages.com http://diplomaguide.com/articles/Arborist_Career_Info.html

Image Resources: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/treeguidehtm/chapter8.htm http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/p445arborist.html http://www.hortco-op.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=members.arborist http://www.atlantaarborist.com/photos.html