Certified Arborist vs. Qualified Arborist.

[trevmcrev]

Seeing lots of debate on here about the worth of being certified makes me wonder....................
Over there in th US, are there any other methods of being recognised as an arborist than the ISA Certified Arborist program.

Here in Oz, the ISA Cert is pretty new and awareness is still low.
But Qualifications in Arb have been going on for decades delivered through Universities and Tafe Colleges. Usually attended for 2-3 years study with assignments(theory and practical) and exams. Many clients expect it but most wouldnt know or value ISA Cert's. Also i question a certification that can be obtained in one sitting after studying their own guidebooks. Is that right?

I did mine 9 years ago and am considering the value of adding the Isa cert.

What other options do you have over there other than the ISA to be certified/qualified in arboriculture?

Not trying to discredit CA's here, just to understand how it works.

I believe the UK has a system more like ours.
Trev

 

[OTG BOSTON]

In Masachusetts there is a Mass. Certified Arborist (MCA) program. It operates much like the ISA with continuing education and regular meetings. We also have a few Colleges/Universities that offer degrees in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry.
It is not uncommon for an Arborist in Mass. to have a four year college degree as well as Mass and ISA certs, and probably a commercial drivers licence and a pesticide liscence.
The public here is well educated and will ask for Certified Arborist 80% of the time. Very few people will ask if you have a College degree.

 

[B-Edwards]

Once you get your cert with ISA you instantly know more than anyone around you, the money pours in, you get free vehicles and equipment just because of who you are. I've also heard about the hot babes following you around too, I havent seen that yet, guess it takes time. To answer your question or atempt to, I guess it depends on who cares what you have . I know guys who arent certified who are awesome tree guys. But the Hacks (as I've heard them called ) all seem to be un-certified ,so birds of a feather? The argument will continue ,but 1 thing for sure ,, It cant hurt you to get certified with ISA. Its a great org I think you'd be happy joining and becoming certified.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

As one who has been studying for ISA certification for the past four months, I can tell you that it seems to require more than a light reading of their study guide, at least for me. I have my degree in Biology, with lots of course work in Botany and Urban Ecology, and I still have had to really dig in to learn all of the material needed for the exam. Studying for the tree ID section saw me going to UT-Austin's plant collection to view species I couldn't find around town. I also went to the American Botanical Council to discuss some issues with them and view their collection. I have read far more material than just the study guide, polishing off several books on tree care and the like. The test is next month so I'll see how much I've learned. One thing I'm certain of is that when I talk to clients about their trees, I'm able to draw upon all of the things I have learned prepping for the CA test. I can sense that my clients value my knowledge and so even if I don't pass the test at first, I will have no regrets learning what I have up to this point. FWIW, I think the ISA is a great organization. Their bi-monthly magazines alone make the membership fee well worth it.

 

[Dadatwins]

Biggest problem that the ISA has regarding the certification steps is that they will generally allow ANYONE that pays the fee and passes the test to wear the badge of CA. Could be a seasoned climber that has been in the trenches for 20 + years, or the flower guy at home depot who has never climbed anything higher than a stepstool to get down a birdhouse for a customer. ISA also does not regulate its members who routinely prune with spikes or top trees. If you pay the fee for renewal and attend the classes and get the credits, you will be renewed. The one thing the ISA is insanely stringent about is the use of the ISA logo. A 6 page insert comes with your membership package about the use of the logo. There are some other programs coming up from TCIA that appear to be geared toward safety and hopefully improving insurance rates. I don't see either of these organizations really focusing on the actual work itself yet and doing what is best for trees. At least in my area most folks are still shopping $$$ and care little about certifications or degrees, they want the lowest price and the fastest service they can get. ISA and TCIA are both good organizations and I believe the intentions they have are good, but in the USA land of political correctness it is very difficult for an organization to tell someone they are doing something wrong with out some legal eagle jumping up and crying foul.

 

[younggun]

corect me if im wrong, but if wou have credentials stateing that you have knowlage that a practice is harmful and you do it any way isn't that grounds for a malpractice sute?

 

[B-Edwards]

So you are saying that because im certified and married when the hot chicks start chasing me and I let them catch me i get sued for malpractice?

 

[Dixie1]

When you turn in your application to take the arborist certification exam, you also have to submit and show that you have had at least 3 years experience in the field or a related college degree. I think it is a great organization. All of the tree toppers I unfortunately know about are not certified. I think the study guides they give you are quite thorough on basic tree care, pruning, biology, and soils and would benefit anyone in arboriculture to read it, especially tree toppers. Just the regular "Certified Arborist" doesn't touch much on the climbing aspect. I wish I knew more about it. One chapter talks about the different types of knots and it made no sense to me just from reading it. I need to have a hands on approach to fully understand that. I do know that you can get more certifications through them other than just that one that gets more specific like climbing and utility trimming. I know my certification has helped as far as looking good on paper. If an insurance company or construction company calls for my advice, they like the fact that I am certified. It also helps that I am one of two in my town of 80,000 people!!! How scary is that? Lots of "Experts" out there making great money while causing mass mutilation on our community trees. There are about 2 tree care companies that actually do a good job and that I would allow on my property. Neither of them are certified, but they do a professional job.

 

[younggun]

So you are saying that because im certified and married when the hot chicks start chasing me and I let them catch me i get sued for malpractice?

i duoght the ca credentils cover that one.

 

[Climb020]

There are only 2 of methods of showing dedication and knowledge that I know of. One would be to go to college for Urban Forestry. Also my state and I am sure all the other states have a certified tree expert exam. This test is much harder then the ISA. I believe you need 10 years of expierence to obtain it. And of the people that I know are NJ tree experts are very smart as to the health and maintaince of the trees and its surrounds. Don't know if they offer something like this though in your country. Contact your government as to any programs they have. At least if you do it by state or area you area assuring your customer that you have a very good understanding of the native trees that are there as well as ways to manage them.

 

[treeseer]

corect me if im wrong, but if wou have credentials stateing that you have knowlage that a practice is harmful and you do it any way isn't that grounds for a malpractice sute?

Ye syou can get sued. One company advertised themselves as tree experts, then topped 7 mature sugar maples to death. the owner sued, the loss appraised at >$80k, the ins co settled for close to that figure and dropped the hack's policy. I hear they are back to cutting the grass.

"What other options do you have over there other than the ISA to be certified/qualified in arboriculture?;

Trev, there's also www.asca-consultants.org and their Registered Consulting arborist designation. $450 to join the org, 4 days training and report scoring over $1000, then you have to stay a member to stay Registered--dues $365/yr. Great group of people, but the org does not seem well run. You can be ISA cert without being a member, which gives it more legitimacy imo.

There are 2-year arb degrees here, in class and online. brcc.edu has one and another in north dakota, both with quality instructors.

I got isa certified in 92 and started charging for all my time, initial visit too. got boardcertified in 04. there are dozens of CA's in my area so the BCMA was well worth it. The test is $350 but only $100 every 3 years to renew I think. as others said it's not the cert that counts but the studying and earning the ceu's.

 

[Ekka]

Good on you Guy, and you know your stuff.

I've said it before and I'll say it again ......

..... a cert, in fact any cert, is better than no cert.

Just because you earnt a cert in arb doesn't mean you behave ethically does it? And neither does it mean that the org that you gained that cert from didn't teach you right.

It's up to YOU to make a difference.

 

[jsdogs]

Here in Delaware most owners of tree companies are certified. Many city and parks dept. bids now require some one in the company to be certified in order to win the bid. yes you can be certified and still have no morals but I would suspect even the most hardened hack feels a little guilty underbidding me and then driving his beat up old pick up to the bank and then to the liquor store where he drowns his pain after seeing the bad top job he did.........
or maybe not. All I know is I sleep better at night. It certianly is a good marketing tool and most people here are now aware of what a ca is and expect thier contractor to be certified.

 

[a_lopa]

I love guys title,"board certified MASTER arborist" if i become an arborist i hope i get this title it sounds pretty good. sadly i dont think im quite that ethical

 

[treeseer]

sadly i dont think im quite that ethical

lopa(I know you're kidding but), ethics is one domain af the bcma test, but you do not need to ace it to pass. I sure didn't; I had some questions about the questions. Ethics is such a hard thing to judge; a wise man said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

When I see ca competitors here doing something blatantly wrong I document it and show it to them for their consideration. That way they know I can show it elsewhere if they do not change.

 

[TreemanFJR]

Did anyone else have typos in the test that they took? By typos I mean major grammatical errors and misspelled words? I'm not the king of perfect grammar, but seriously if this is supposed to be some big professional test then what is the deal with that. It looked like a spell check wasn't even used. I brought this up after to test to the proctor and he laughed and said he hears about that all the time. I was kinda disappointed to tell you the truth.