how to get ISA certified in Canada

[westcoast27]

Hi (I am using this for the first time),
I am looking into getting ISA certified. I want to work more outdoors and use some skills I have as I have worked with a powersaw, climbed in logger sports, and have worked on a golf course maintenance crew for years to put me through school. I also enjoy doing landscaping on a friend's acreage.

I am living near Vancouver, BC, Canada and want to know how long, what schools, how much it costs, and what it takes to be an arborist. I have done internet searches and can not find it on a school's website.
I am 38 years old now but have kept in good shape and find at this point in my life I may do well in this and with a career change. I am now teaching on call and have travelled the world as a teacher but want stability and job satisfaction in Canada and want to know more. Can you give me any tips or pro's and cons about the certification and the career as an arborist please.

Thanks

 

[treeseer]

Go for it!

Talk to the local chapter: http://www.pnwisa.org/

 

[adam]

yes, go for it!

 

[Mitchell]

first post as well

hey there

Like you I have recently entered into the residential tree care business by way of landscaping and odd jobbing, and i have climbed a few novice poles in logger sports years ago. However, I felled trees in the bush for 13 years before trying residential work so I have a very good grasp on the dynamics of chainsaws and wood. Thus I entered into the business with the motto of "how hard can it be." If you are a part time teacher or on the sub list you can keep yourself busy with that well you build your business. I also have a full time city job with split shift work 2 days 2 nights then 4 off. So I have 6 days out of every eight to work on trees, providing i can get some sleep at work.

I work and run my part time [full time hours however] tree business in Victoria BC. I did my isa ticket last October. An old school tree guy i was working for part time scoffed at certification. Doing it has easily made me the cost of the course, ISA membership, study time etc back. The real reason I did it was I quickly realized I had no idea how to care for trees, other then cutting them down of course. I did my arborist ticket in response to all the questions i was getting from people that i could not even begin to answer; when to prune, how to prune, what is wrong with my tree etc etc etc.

I did the first exam date available [in Vernon] and i was certain i would fail the tree recognition part of the exam but i got lucky, otherwise i would have had to re do that component at a future date. I would say the reading and comprehension is at the grade 10 level; it is just mainly memorization.

Having the ticket has helped me get jobs as some municipalities in the region here do not have city arborists and simply take the lettered word of a certified arborist for direction.
Having said all that the course makes you realize how much there is to know and truly how little one does know about tree care [even after passing the exam]. But it is the best place to start i know of anyways. Thats why I ended up here on this site, I'm always having to research stuff.
You would save yourself a lot of my growing pains if you got on with a good company and learned the basics from them. I am pretty much self taught; my big break with climbing came when i found an old copy of trade magazine with pictures! Very important is cultivating a few local resources in the business who freely offer advice [most I found are very territorial]

Vancouver pays much better in the tree business then Victoria I am told: to many out of work loggers here [i guess thats me to]. I personally would set up shop there but I am not ready to quite My City job here yet. Some threads here have dished guys with pickups but I personally think it is a healthy business model. After watching the price of decent bucket trucks on ebay for awhile I decided it is not worth it unless i invest in staff and marketing etc to get a return on that investment. Right now I can walk away and owe nothing.
Also worth noting in my opinion, is 50% of arborist work is people work. If your not a good people person you may not enjoy the profession as much and you probably will find it difficult to be in business for yourself. I live and die by referrals so I spend lots of time talking with folks when i would rather get to work or get home. It has payed off though, I may not be able to hold off hiring some one to help me for much longer.
For that matter you can give me a call at 250 294 6794 and i would be happy to pass on what little I know.

Cheers Scott Mitchell

 

[treeseer]

Nice post, Scott. Welcome!