# Arborist liscense, is it worth it?



## RandyS

From a purely monetary standpoint is getting the arborist license worth it? What has it allowed you to accomplish and if you don't have it do you think it's a big hindrance?
How hard it is to obtain?
Thank you.


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## clearance

Going to leave this alone.


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## skwerl

Define 'arborist license'. Clearance obviously thinks you are talking about something other than what you are, and I can think of two or three different things.


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## RandyS

Maybe I'm not saying it right. I know a guy here in town is a licensed arborist and is allowed to prune and perform other duties that I shouldn't.
Take down guys verse spraying, fertilizing, pruning guys maybe?


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## skwerl

Are you talking about an occupational license issued by the county and required in order to have a legal business? Or are you talking about a 'certified arborist' certification issued by the ISA? 

In order for us to know what type of license you're talking about, tell us who issues it.


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## stoneland

I am Randys partner and we were informed that with out your arborist license you were not allowed to cable trees, prune them or fertilize them. we were told this by a couple of tree company's in the area so we figured we would get going on the license thing. or were we miss informed? I think we are looking at the ISA.


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## Redbull

Also, even ISA Certified Arborists are not allowed to apply chemicals without being licensed by the state they work in.


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## RandyS

Certified.


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## RandyS

And another license for chemicals, hope this helps.


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## stoneland

which certification do we need to get in order to be able to prune and cable trees?


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## skwerl

I'd start with your County occupational license board. I think I might have heard something somewhere about one or two NE states also requiring some sort of State issued business license, but I really have no idea for your area. In Florida you need a county occupational license. In order to get the county license you need a physical business address (not a PO Box) and $300K liability insurance. If your business address is within a city limits, you may also need a city occupational license.

The ISA certification is strictly voluntary and is nothing more than a glorified 'basic minimum standards' test. But calling yourself a 'certified arborist' looks good in a phone book ad.  They have zero standards enforcement and will issue a number to anyone who passes the test and sends in their money every 3 years.


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## clearance

I was going to stay away but i have to act. Skwerl, how dare you say such terrible things about the ISA. They are the ultimate authority of treework, it is a great honor to be ISA certified and those that have achieved that supreme certification are truly the treegods of this earth. Those chosen have to pass the "ultimate standards" testing. Using the title "ISA certified" entitles you to have all other treemen bow and worship your presence. You have blasphemed and shall be punished.


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## stoneland

Isa is a good course to take right? good info from the course?


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## treeman82

Most states the ISA cert is good enough (NY) but in CT you must be licensed by the CTPA to perform tree care in CT. They don't care if you are licensed by the ISA... it's CTPA or no tree care for you. From what I hear, the test is tougher than the ISA test. 
I had been in Muench a couple of years ago and asked them if a company was doing land clearing and needed to cut a few branches on some trees as opposed to cutting them down.. would they need a license seeing as how its a land clearing operation? Plain and simple answer... yes.


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## stoneland

clearance said:


> "ISA certified" entitles you to have all other treemen bow and worship your presence.
> 
> I like the sound of that.


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## stoneland

where would I look to become CTPA certified?


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## treeman82

http://www.ctpa.org/


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## stoneland

CTPA. org Please Note - In order to practice commercial arboriculture in Connecticut, an individual must hold an arborist license from the State of Connecticut.

looks like we do need our Isa Cert


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## skwerl

An 'Arborist license from the State of Connecticut' is not the same thing as an ISA certification from the ISA. The ISA is the International Society of Arboriculture. It does not issue State Certification for your State government.


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## stoneland

New to all this I'm lost. or maybe its b/c its so late can you clarify for me?
where do i go to get my license?


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## treeman82

You need to go through CTPA.


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## stoneland

Thanks


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## Tom_Blough

*


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## skwerl

Tom_Blough said:


> Connecticut State Arborist License - in the state of Connecticut, you must be licensed by the state to do anything that "improves" the condition of trees. You can do removals without a license, but you cannot prune, trim, brace, or feed.
> 
> If I recall correctly, the fines are pretty stiff for unlicensed contractors.


Ahh, another example of the all-knowing government saving the people from themselves. What a wonderful concept, perfectly designed to accomplish the exact opposite of the original intent. 

Hey guys, let's all petition our Senators and Congressmen to create MORE laws to restrict every move we make!!! And jail everyone who dares to think for himself without government approval!!!


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## clearance

So I guess you can climb with spurs to do anything or top without spurs because you are not "improving" the tree. Beauty.


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## Tom_Blough

*


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## stoneland

Thanks so much tom.


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## Dadatwins

Tom_Blough said:


> Connecticut State Arborist License - in the state of Connecticut, you must be licensed by the state to do anything that "improves" the condition of trees. You can do removals without a license, but you cannot prune, trim, brace, or feed.
> 
> If I recall correctly, the fines are pretty stiff for unlicensed contractors.



Could not believe it until I read it, but that has got to be the most a$$inine law I have ever heard of. How ridiculus, that you must jump through hoops to actually 'perform tree care' but any hack & slash specialist can perform removals to their hearts content. By definition, I can notch and drop any tree live or dead, but if it brushes by another one and breaks a branch I am breaking the law cutting off the broken branch.  
Will someone stop the planet please, I need to get off at the next stop. :bang:


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## clearance

Dada, isn't this exactly what you and your ilk ("proper arborists") have always wanted? Regulation and laws to stop "hacks"? Arborists are always going of about "hacks" topping trees, leaving stubs, flush cutting and so on. Hey, now they are not allowed to do anything but cut it down. Removals, of course being at the low end of treework, anyone can do them I hear.


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## clearance

Treeco-"I admit to helping a little with enforcement by taking photos." ----Moonlighting as a p.i., dropping the dime on guys, terrible..... Why don't ya rat out B.C. Hydro to the ISA for letting everyone that does utility in B.C. wear spurs for trimming? Not a chance cause you wouldn't want to question fellow ISA members, but o.k. to inform on guys trying to make a buck (cutting your grass, no other reason). What more can I say, have you no shame?


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## clearance

I know guys that work for orange and everybody does buzz jobs, you make me sick, you rat, p.o.s.


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## clearance

Treeco-I am just sure everyone at orange just love you, I'm sure a few of them would love to stick a bar wrench into your neck.


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## begleytree

Well clearance, utility work pays squat. everyone knows it. Now if a guy runs out and steals company equipment and uses company resourses to do buzz work just to make ends meet, should he not be called in on? I've called in on them before, and definately will again.
If someone broke into your crib and stole your stuff, wouldn't you want the neighbors who saw it to call the police? same thing. theives who deserve to lose their jobs, and be criminally charged with theft, among other things. Just because you live above your means doesn't make stealing OK.
stealing is stealing. god I hate theives.
-Ralph


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## BoesTreeService

*Simpley an observation*

Hey TreeCo, I am very intuitive, and I think I may percieve the subtle hint of sarcasm in your posts! By the way, do certain people have to react so violently? Wow.


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## treeman82

The following are the organizations I have called to report unscrupulous arborist wannabe's.

CTPA
IRS
OSHA
DEC


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## clearance

Alright, all you rats out there c'mon out and lets hear it. Have any of you ever worked, been paid in cash and not told Uncle Sam? Do you rat on your nieghbors teenagers for teenage stuff too? Treeco, why don't you go to the Asplundh yard after work and tell all the guys of your heroic deeds.


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## begleytree

clearance, thats called 'blame transference'. where it becomes the cops' fault a thief was caught, not the thieves' actions to begin with. Surely at 37 years old, you're smarter than that, right?
-Ralph


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## clearance

Ralph, buzz jobs are o.k. with me as long as people don't push it too far, using a truck and chipper on the weekend is too much, working for 45mins. and throwing a little tree or two through the chipper after you worked your ass of all day making your boss large $ is o.k.. Treeco has never done utility, doesn't know Asplundh, where everyone does buzz jobs. When he ratted out the guys the Asplundh supervisor probably asked the guys (informed people, rat victims?) for a share of the dough. The sup. probably did buzzers when he was younger, it is expected of new guys. What about employers that don't pay overtime or reward the hard workers, just the brownnosers? Do they pay when you do buzz jobs?. Answer my question about Uncle Sam getting his pound of flesh, you don't have too, I don't care if people pocket some cash, just think about it. And finally your theory of blame tranference is a well known, valid part of any criminology instruction. There is more to it, I remember when I studied police deviance and accountability in school. It goes something like denial of injury, they deserved it, others do it, blah, blah. But none of you are cops, so leave it to them, moralizing about buzzjobs is touchy, not many in business are so squeeky clean that they welcome investigation by anyone, usualy a few skeletons, no?


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## begleytree

utility guys doing buzz work on the side will always happen so long as electric companies only look to the low bids, and guys needing work to support a family willing to accept any pay offered, regardless how low. We have to make the distinction between a guy taking a rope, saw and saddle he owns and doing a side job, and the ones taking off with a company truck to do the same.
The first I have no problem with, because these guys are working for the lowprice pricks I refuse to work for. they're not hurting me. I've seen these kind of guys bust butt all day long saturday loading wood and brush into pickups just so the 3 of them can split $150. The latter aren't hurting me either, but its just the principal of stealing equipment to do it that bothers me.
So, in essence, I'm not calling in on the buzzworkers, I'm reporting thieves.
-Ralph


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## TreeJunkie

Anyone care to share Phone #'s for OSHA, IRS, or any other orgs that i can report the hacks to...

I wanna be the sheriff too...


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## howel07264

*rules and regs. whats that?*

treeco,clearance,treejunkie, i love it,keep it going. as for me i like to run stop signs,re-fill my coke again at the taco bell without paying, work without proper lisc. or insurance , hire undocumented day laborers,dont report for jury duty,only hire subs willing to work on weekends without a permit or lisc.. and spiking trees is my specialty! actually dont do any tree work,just thought i would throw that in. also dont like spell check.
in reallity i conform to all rules and regs. straight as an arrow,yep thats the ticket!


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## treeman82

I've only ever reported 2 people to those organizations I listed.

1) landscraper out of CT who was being a prick when it came time to get paid. (CTPA)


2) landscraper in my area who is just a complete sack of ????. (IRS, OSHA, DEC) His fat ass deserves whatever it gets.


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## jmack

RandyS said:


> From a purely monetary standpoint is getting the arborist license worth it? What has it allowed you to accomplish and if you don't have it do you think it's a big hindrance?
> How hard it is to obtain?
> Thank you.


 it is not easy if you plan on doing anything in ct thats not a removal it is required.


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## jmack

*relax*



clearance said:


> Going to leave this alone.


relax clearance he is talking about a state license not the isa


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## jmack

*ct license*

wow there is a lot here. the license is worth it and as clearance will agree its not easy like the isa... . it has been around a while its nothing new. other states have them as well nj ma . and the state doesnt want anybody saying they are an arborist if they are not. again ,for removals no license is needed j


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## PlantDoctor

*Re: Connecticut Arborist's License*

Actually, the license is offered by the state of Connecticut. Without it, you could face fines of $1500 per day for doing tree work (pruning, cabling) illegally, or $2500 per day for pesticide applications. The test is quite challenging, much harder than the ISA test. It consists of 3 parts. A multiple choice, an identification, and an oral part (where you are tested by 2 experts on anything dealing with arboriculture). If you fail a certain part you may have to start the whole process all over again. VERY challenging. Only about 60% of the people who try to obtain it wind up succeeding. I have one, but I had to study very hard for it. One of the hardest tests I've taken in my lifetime (and I have a Doctorate in Agriculture). Good luck to anyone who goes for it. Contact me if you want any guidance.


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## boo

State governed. Here in Louisiana, you need (1.)a minimum insurance policy(liability/property damage), (2.)a minimum insurance policy(personal health), (3.)Arborist certification, (4.)pass a rules and regulations test,(5.)attend certified Arborist classes. (6.)After you have paid for these tests and insurances, THEN you can pay for a license to work on the trees here.
No tree work allowed over 15 feet up with out these things, or risk getting shut down, confiscated, fined big money, and even jail time.
Enough healthy or savable trees lost here already.


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## PlantDoctor

Sounds tough in Louisianna. Here in Connecticut, the Arborist license is only good for trees over 15 ft tall. You need to obtain the Connecticut Ornamental and Turf license to take care of small trees and bushes. Exam similar (multiple choice, with identification, then an oral, given by three people at once) (and of same difficulty!) as the Arborist licensing exam. I was blown away by the difficulty of the 2 exams, but succeeded in getting both last summer.


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## treemandan

clearance said:


> Treeco-I am just sure everyone at orange just love you, I'm sure a few of them would love to stick a bar wrench into your neck.



i thought you ssaid you were leaving this one alone?


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## PlantDoctor

Please expalin your comment further, about leaving a topic alone.


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## tree MDS

PlantDoctor said:


> Sounds tough in Louisianna. Here in Connecticut, the Arborist license is only good for trees over 15 ft tall. You need to obtain the Connecticut Ornamental and Turf license to take care of small trees and bushes. Exam similar (multiple choice, with identification, then an oral, given by three people at once) (and of same difficulty!) as the Arborist licensing exam. I was blown away by the difficulty of the 2 exams, but succeeded in getting both last summer.



So now that you're all licensed up, are you actually any good at treework??


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## PlantDoctor

I think I'm quite good at diagnosing problems and applying the appropriate remedies (e.g. pesticides, nutritional deficiencies, soil amendments, recommending appropriate physical approaches (cabling, lightning installation, pruning)), to improve a tree's health, but I'll leave the takedowns to others such as you.


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## tree MDS

PlantDoctor said:


> I think I'm quite good at diagnosing problems and applying the appropriate remedies (e.g. pesticides, nutritional deficiencies, soil amendments, recommending appropriate physical approaches (cabling, lightning installation, pruning)), to improve a tree's health, but I'll leave the takedowns to others such as you.



So you climb and do pruning, but don't do takedowns?

What part of CT are you in?


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## PlantDoctor

Most of my time has been spent as an integrated pest management technician, but I have done some work as a groundsman and a bit of bucket work. Would like to learn to climb though. I am in Fairfield County, CT.


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## tree MDS

PlantDoctor said:


> Most of my time has been spent as an integrated pest management technician, but I have done some work as a groundsman and a bit of bucket work. Would like to learn to climb though. I am in Fairfield County, CT.



You should learn to climb! With all that other stuff out of the way, you're already ahead of the game. I'm up in litchfield county.


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## PlantDoctor

Sounds like a good idea. The only problem is that I am 43 years old (fairly good physical shape though.)


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## tree MDS

PlantDoctor said:


> Sounds like a good idea. The only problem is that I am 43 years old (fairly good physical shape though.)



You could always start by dragging brush for a good climber (and I'm not kidding, or trying to be a prick either with that).. just saying.


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## jefflovstrom

:love1:
I wish you both the best! :hmm3grin2orange:
Jeff


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## tree MDS

jefflovstrom said:


> :love1:
> I wish you both the best! :hmm3grin2orange:
> Jeff



We partnering up as we speak Yoda Jeffers! .. fear not!


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## jefflovstrom

tree MDS said:


> We partnering up as we speak Yoda Jeffers! .. fear not!



LoL! 
Jeff


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