Maybe landscape arborists should have THEIR own ISA cert. instead of making climbers and aerial workers get another one. separate jobs, insured at different rates, and performing different functions. Should all carpenters be electricians? Or all plumbers escavators? Maybe all contractors should be beauticians?.....Just stay out of my trees, and I will keep off your flowers.
I'm a Certified Arborist and a Certified Landscape Technician.
Every tree I plant (that alone) is Arboriculture.
For me, utilizing both certificates requires near identical science, knowlege and skill.
Every tree pruned, is landscape maintenence.
In fact, every arborist who mainly prunes and climbs landscape trees is a landscape maintenance worker, focusing on one component primarily. And if large trees only within a garden / landscape, then that's being a deluxe scale gardener.
Its similar to how a forest is not trees, but everything in the forest.
To not understand that, one might not have been trained in multiple phases of horticulture.
I've heard similar comments from a landscape architect who had not performed professional pruning, and from landscape contractors who have only installed - but never maintained.
In almost every case, its the "one facet" professional who argues a difference in the science, knowledge and skill. And the thing that jumps out immediately, is their signicant lack of experience or work in multiple phases, otherwise they would comprehend its the same knowledge technical base being utilized slighty differently.
The professionals whom I meet with the greatest understanding of the single knowledge base, are typically men and women who have a balanced position - frequently, the superintendents / managers / curators of university campuses horticulture crews, arboretums / botanical gardens, etc.. They are full-phase professionals, using all phases of horticulture. They understand that there is no real separation of tree care and landscape garden care in regards to the primary "knowledge pool".
I see nothing wrong at all with people "specializing" in any niche, as long as they do it right. Any "distressing" matter, is merely a specialist who claims a distinction in the knowledge and skill base.
Even the stereotype "landscape maintenance" company SHOULD fully understand enough to pass the Certified Arborist test. How can they fertilize and do herbicide applications in turf where trees are present if they don't know such things?
How can they prune small medium size trees if they don't understand such things? Just one point alone: they could sunburn a big tree by the removal of foliage on a small tree at the wrong time of year.
So the point of the whole trade being WELDED together is etched in stone: its indisputable from the perspective of professionals who have practised basic mastery of muliple facets.
I've contracted the removal of many large trees, but had to postpone until winter to spare sunburn to gardens and OTHER small trees (arboriculture and gardening). Other times, irrigation has been installed, and arboriculture (tree) knowledge was essential to avoid trenching across the roots.
In fact, a third of my customers have been advised on how to route future irrigation lines for extra landscape and garden pop-up sprinklers. There is arboriculture as an essential component of consulting involving gardens. But when we are honest, we see that the garden consulting became, or was, tree consulting simultaneously.
