When I was rock climbing that was the standard as well. They're just too bulky for most arborist setups... one of the reasons a spliced eye is becoming more and more common... the trend towards mechanical devices and SRT techniques, as well as rope bridges is making that valuable real estate within arms length pretty crowded.
The other difference between alpine and arborist is that alpine is primarily fall protection, and subject to pretty extreme shockloads, whereas arborist techniques are primarily designed for canopy access and work positioning. The gear may look similar, but the way it is utilized and it's purpose is actually very different.
This.
I wouldn’t take a 30’ whipper on a bunt hitch.
I don’t want an open loop on my termination knot for sticks to get caught in. And I want it to untie without a fight.
But you will see tree guys using Figure 8s and fisherman knots. Lots of guys prefer to stick with what they know. I try not to be a jerk, but I groan inwardly when I see that stuff. Tree work is all about efficiency. Rock climbing knots are more for strength and ease of ID. Using an 8 or fisherman’s is going to eat time when you need to untie.
FWIW, Figure 8 is the strongest common knot. It has no severe bends or areas of force concentration. Bowline, Reverse Overhand Followthrough are notably more prone to failure.
But I’ve negative rigged thousands of pounds onto a running bowline and never had a knot break. Most any termination knot should be strong enough to hold our bodyweight.