Your Guide to Becoming an ISA Certified Arborist

When it comes to trees, shrubbery, or other plants that land in those categories, it is easy to look at them in our yards and thinking little more about them.  However, did you know that there are entire fields dedicated to studying them and how they can work in tandem with other types of plants?  This is known as arboriculture, which you can learn a bit more about here: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Arboriculture.  

Otherwise, though, this article is meant to serve as an introductory resource for it.  For anyone intrigued, do be sure to stick around!  There is a lot to cover in a short period of time.

What is it?

To start out, let us define “arboriculture,” as this is what arborists practice in their professional lives.  Essentially, they study a specific subset of plant life.  This includes trees, of course, along any other “woody” plants.  That is the main way to categorize them, so keep that in mind.

Sometimes, you may hear them referred to as “woody perennials,” which is another classification of course.  Most arborists pick one from under the overall umbrella to specialize in, though it is certainly possible to branch out into the other types as well.  The main thing is that you do not stray from the first qualifier.

Why Does it Matter?

As far as frequently asked questions go in this field, this is probably the biggest one that we get.  I mean, it may seem a bit strange to dedicate an entire livelihood to trees, right?  Well, there are many reasons that it is important, so do try to keep an open mind about it!

With groups like Legacy Tree Company, they can offer some of the knowledge that a cursory glance such as this one might be lacking.  That being said, though, I do still have plenty to discuss!  For one thing, it is a good idea to learn about this field because of how important trees and other woody plants are for our overall ecosystem.

After all, there is good reason for the championing of planting trees and using less paper in general!  A lot of the oxygen that we breath come from the great forests of the world.  This means that having a better understanding of that process can be quite beneficial to all of humanity.

On a more grounded level, though, there are some other practical motivations for getting into arboriculture.  For one thing, trying to plan out what will go in our gardens and yards is not exactly simple.  On the surface, it might appear that way, but the reality is that this is simply not the case.  

Rather, there is a lot more to learn.  There is a surprising amount of interplay between what woody perennials we have in our lawns and the flowers or bushes we decide to plant together with them.  Thus, having some knowledge of this can be helpful in this manner.

What Can They Bring to the Table?

For the other big question, this one probably takes the crown.  Sure, it can be answered to some extent by checking out resources such as this one, but I prefer to take a more personal approach to the explanation.  There are a few services that an arborist can provide for anyone seeking their assistance.

Of course, removing trees or moving them to another location is one of them.  Consultations for what to plant are also quite commonly requested.  What else is there, then?

This may come as a surprise for some of the readers today, but when we have trees on our properties, they do tend to require some maintenance.  That is something that these professionals can certainly aid with.  That includes both trimming, pruning, or removing dead limbs.

If you are nervous about the limbs of a tree on your property and have concerns that it could end up damaging your home, that is another instance where you could call an arborist.  Personally, for a long time I always wondered what my options were in situations like that.  I had no idea this was even a thing until I began to do my research – hopefully, this will serve you well!

Related Posts:

About the author

Tom Z.

View all posts