BC certs and work

[BCbound]

Hey Guys,
Great site. Just wondering if someone could point me in the write direction. I have about 2 years climbing and tree work experience in alberta. I'm looking to move to northern/central BC for a change of area. What certs do you need in BC, if any to get work? What work maybe available? I've got lots of chainsaw experience aswell.Maybe some company names to look into. Also do you need any formal schooling to write the ISA exams? Any help would be great.

 

[bigbadbob]

In Kamloops there is Asplundh and Davey they dont list their phone numbers for some unknown reason. But there are others.
Thompson rivers tree service 250-376-8073
Stumped tree service 250-318-5240
Interior tree 250-318-3422
Economy tree service 250-554-1117
these are from the local phone directory, hope it helps you out.
The hills here are brown from pine bug kill, I think the city and government are getting together to help remove these, so there may be work here.
Bob

 

[gavin]

for residential climbing there isn't any certification to deal with. i dont' know much about utility work but a good guy to contact would be a user on hear named "clearance". he knows his stuff and works in the interior i believe. send him a pm, i'm sure he'll get back to you. i'm in the bottom corner of the province so i don't know how work is out there, but i imagine there is work for a climber.

if you want to do production falling you have to get certified which can be difficult. climbing experience won't count if you try to challenge it. challenging it costs $1250 if they let you. if they don't let you challenge it then the new faller training course is around $10,000 plus gear and living expenses. you also have to start your own company and subcontract because "employee" fallers are all but extinct. i highly recommend not bothering with the falling stuff at least for a year or so, because nobody here is working. forest industry has hit rock bottom. plus in the interior they utilize feller bunchers a lot more than they do here.

hope this helps.

 

[RedlineIt]

BCbound,

If you were thinking of moving to Vancouver or Victoria areas, ISA Arborist cert becomes a Big Deal, in the interior, not so much. It's not that a good climber won't find work without it, just that you'll almost certainly stay subordinate on a crew to someone who does have it.

You cannot do Hydro line work without going through BC's apprenticeship program for that trade, the ISA's Utility Arborist cert is meaningless here, as gavin said, clearance knows more about that program than anyone else on this board.

To write the ISA Arborist exam, you need three years of working in the industry, or a combination of school and work experience. Go to the ISA website for more info. The ISA also publish a study guide to help prep for the test, I know several people who have passed the test using that book alone.

One other thing...if you know a good mechanic in Alberta, do yourself a favor and get your car or truck totally checked out and up to snuff before you move. Out of province vehicle transfers get the fine comb treatment, one stone chip in the glass, or a sticky seatbelt restrainer will hold it up.

Good Luck!

RedlineIt