# Becoming An ISA Certified Arborist



## Kram (Sep 2, 2003)

Husky, one of the best book I have is called "Arboriculture. Integrated Management Of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vine" by Richard W. Harris and is considered the bible of Arboriculture. Get that book and you're be among a rich source of knowledge


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## Kram (Sep 2, 2003)

<<<<so I guess I would have some On The Job Knowledge>>>>

Any kind of knowledge you learn off the job comes from the books cept the experience but it really pays to know the terminology from studying Arboriculture.
Another thing you can do for the preparation of your test is to hit the nursery after work 2 or 3 times a week and study botanical names of all the trees in your region, leaf margins, bark ID, shapes formation , etc., you're pass with flying colors on that subject. Good luck.


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## John Paul Sanborn (Sep 2, 2003)

Contact your chapter for the tree ID master list. Ask how it will be givem, eg winter bud, rycher mount...

I was walking in the older part of the city with a budd, looking for WI state champs, we were doing a lot of "What the hell is that? izzit a ....no...maybe a...oh I know what it is, have you got it yet?"

We might be going around and doing some measuring to verify and update, take some pic's.


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## jamie (Sep 3, 2003)

*RFS*

after i got my degree (in countryside manangement) i studied towards my royal forestry societies certificate in arb while paying my way through my chainsaw and climbibg courses, its a similar course but doesnt have the ID section, it really helped me in both my knowledge and ability to gain employment....im after the ISA but im a bit skint at the moment.......

id say go for it and get the latin down, over here i know that they offer multiple choice for the ID, dunno what they do stateside

jamie


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## timberfell (Sep 4, 2003)

I think the whole test is multiple choice. You can go to the ISA website and read about it.

Kurt


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## Greg (Sep 4, 2003)

Yes it is all mulitple chioce. Like Brian said they use local fresh samples, most were a 2-3foot long branch. I got the list of trees to study for the test and it must have had 150 trees on it, many I had never heard of. You must really have a good working knowledge of the local trees, I think books are the wrong way to study for that part of the test. 
Greg


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## jimmyq (Sep 4, 2003)

200 multiple guess including 10 on ID. We had pictures for ID at my test a couple years ago. From a distance, just able to see enough detail to be able to ID if you are reasonably capable. Harris is a good reference and course guide was helpful.


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## ropensaddle (May 28, 2015)

Kram said:


> Husky, one of the best book I have is called "Arboriculture. Integrated Management Of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vine" by Richard W. Harris and is considered the bible of Arboriculture. Get that book and you're be among a rich source of knowledge


Yes, I love that book very good reading and reading rinse repeat more reading lol


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## Dillweed (May 30, 2015)

I took the test in Homestead, FL in 2003. 200 multiple guess questions. Hungover from all the cervezas I drank the night before. In Homestead, FL, beers are called cervezas. If memory serves me, like 1/2 the questions are from the manual, verbatim. Memorize the questions/answers in the manual. If I can pass it, anybody can. I'm certified and I don't know the difference between a palm tree and a pine tree.


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## jefflovstrom (May 30, 2015)

Dillweed said:


> I'm certified and I don't know the difference between a palm tree and a pine tree.



That is a sad statement, so I guess you are proud to be a fake,,,,
Jeff


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## Dillweed (May 31, 2015)

There is no faking me passing the test. I am proud of my honesty.


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## Pelorus (May 31, 2015)

Y'all be thankful that the ISA only certifies arborists, (and not dentists)



The horror.


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## I'llbearealclimberoneday (May 31, 2015)

Bet that dentist can file a mean chain


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## _RJ_ (Jun 1, 2015)

My wife is a hygienist. I showed her that video. Her jaw was on the ground haha


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## Procut (Jun 3, 2015)

Why is that book so expensive? I'd like to get one but , geez


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## BC WetCoast (Jun 3, 2015)

Procut said:


> Why is that book so expensive? I'd like to get one but , geez



You haven't had a kid go to university yet have you? 

All reference books are expensive.


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## Procut (Jun 3, 2015)

BC WetCoast said:


> You haven't had a kid go to university yet have you?
> 
> All reference books are expensive.



Nope , Besides being actively involved in Arboriculture and all aspects of tree work , I'm a Registered Nurse so I know COSTS!! I decided to have children at an older age. AT 45 my oldest is just 10.


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## ropensaddle (Jun 3, 2015)

jefflovstrom said:


> That is a sad statement, so I guess you are proud to be a fake,,,,
> Jeff


Recertification will likely teach him one is conifer other is grass.


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## Ikeholt (Jun 8, 2015)

I wouldn't spend a lot of time on the tree ID, I think it is only worth 10%. If they are using live branches, they would need to be fresh samples. Make sure you know all of the trees in the landscape around the test site.


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## JRoland (Jun 9, 2015)

Ikeholt said:


> I wouldn't spend a lot of time on the tree ID, I think it is only worth 10%. If they are using live branches, they would need to be fresh samples. Make sure you know all of the trees in the landscape around the test site.



I just took the ISA test (April 11-2015) and there is no specific tree ID. There are tree ID questions and definition of types/ shapes of tree but not tree branch/ leaf samples or anything like that.


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## Ferguson system (Jun 29, 2015)

JRoland, Was the test hard? If so, what was difficult?


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## JRoland (Jun 30, 2015)

I studied the green book and listened to the CDs (which is essentially a monotone reading of the arborists study guide). 
I didn't find the test as easy as some of the people on here make it out to be....when I got my results sheet back it was broken down by score per category and it was fairly predictable based on my experience (ie I scored higher on rigging and safety than tree planting because I have done more of that). Literally the only thing I studied was the arborists certification study guide and I passed. That being said there were some things on the test that I was unfamiliar with. Gotta keep learning.


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## Ferguson system (Jul 4, 2015)

Thanks for the feedback. I've been preparing for the exam for 1-2 years now. I have completed most of the online coarses and quizzes on ISA's webpage, read a book called the European tree worker and Modern Arboriculture by Alex Shigo. I feel that i am just about ready to take the exam. There are only a handful ISA certified arborists in Norway, so it will give me an advantage to be one of them.


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## JRoland (Jul 6, 2015)

Sounds like you should be prepared. Also when you take the test, it is multiple choice so follow guidelines for multiple choice tests, as far as choosing the "most appropriate answer" etc... I also found that on a lot of tests if there is a "D. All of the above." that's usually the answer, but that was not the case with this test.


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## cupar (Jul 7, 2015)

Isa exam is stupid easy. There's 220 multiple choice answers and you can get a 0 in a section as long as your overall is above 72. They say your suppose to have 3 years experience before you can be isa certified but I know several people who are being pushed through the program with 3 months experience. The last person we had pass admitted to reading the study guide twice and taking the exam hung over and still got 80%+.

It's a shame as the exam used to mean something, now it's a business. I am sure I'm going to be flamed for this but if you saw the dozens of isa certified people around here that have never climbed without spurs and can't tell an ash from a maple apart you'd feel like I do.


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## JRoland (Jul 7, 2015)

I had heard about it being stupid easy too. I didn't find it to be, and have been involved in some facet of tree work or logging since I was In high school 20 years ago. I got a 78%. But also that reflects a lot of time spent doing one type of tree work and not being that well rounded. Also there were 200 questions.


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