ISA Certified Arborist
When you hire a tree service, how do you know that your trees are in good hands? The ISA, or International Society of Arboriculture, offers a variety of credentials and certification programs that serve a similar purpose of your doctor’s medical degree. Certified arborists have taken the time to learn about their field, prove their proficiency through examinations and rigorous course work, and have years of experience to back up their qualifications.
Your trees deserve the same care and attention you’d want for yourself. When you hire a tree service, choosing someone certified in tree care is like choosing a medical professional who has been to med school—someone you can trust.
What is the ISA Arborist Certification?
The ISA began the arboreal certification program in the 1980s to improve the standard of the tree care profession. Creating this qualification established a baseline of knowledge for all tree care professionals, which in turn enhanced the spread of proper tree care across the nation.
Who is an ISA Certified Arborist?
An ISA-Certified Arborist is someone who has voluntarily gone through the ISA’s program for arboriculture. By the ISA’s own admission, this designation indicates your “commitment, dedication, and knowledge to succeed.” Arborists who choose to work for this certification possess high levels of dedication to their profession and the community they serve, because they understand the importance of continued education to continued success, and value the extra effort that goes into becoming certified as part of their responsibility as a tree care professional.
What does it take to become an ISA Certified Arborist?
To begin this certification process, you must first hold a degree in arboriculture, horticulture, landscape architecture, or forestry from an accredited university, and secondly, you must have three or more years of “full-time, eligible, practical” experience in arboriculture. Our owner, Scott Rushing, proudly holds a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Education from the University of Georgia, and has worked in arboriculture in the Athens-Oconee area since 2008.
The certification track itself includes written and practical training and examinations, ensuring that every individual who goes through the process is well-versed in all aspects of arboriculture, including (but not limited to): “basic tree biology, tree identification and selection, tree-soil-water relations, tree nutrition and fertilization, tree planting and establishment, pruning concepts and techniques, cabling, bracing and lightning protection, problem diagnosis and management, tree preservation on construction sites, climbing and safe work practices, and tree risk assessment.” The final written examination features approximately 200 questions on all of these subjects.
Once the program is completed and the final examination passed, the Arborist Certification is valid for three full years. In that time, the certified arborist must complete 30 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), in order to be eligible to re-certify at the end of the three years. The tree care profession has evolved drastically as the technological age progresses at a break-neck speed; this CEU requirement ensures that arborists stays up-to-date on the latest information and technology in the arboricultural world.
Continuing Education Units come in a variety of forms, including things such as college courses, workshops, conferences, webinars, safety trainings, online learning modules, and other opportunities approved by the ISA.
Why choose an ISA Certified Arborist?
Certified Arborists are trained in the intricacies of tree care. They are qualified to assess a tree’s health and its potential for failure to determine which trees present a risk to persons and property. They are also qualified to determine the best courses of action to mitigate those risks, and fully trained and experienced in performing those courses of action safely and with the health of the tree and the protection of the environment in mind.
They are also well-versed in the proper vocabulary to accurately describe tree-related situations; arboriculture is an increasingly scientific field that is, day by day, becoming less dependent on vague language and ambiguous practice and more dependent on factual, measurable components. This ensures that both the arborist and the customer are confident that both parties understand the necessity and potential ramifications of any given treatment.
In addition to education, training, and testing, ISA certifications come with a Code of Ethics that all credential-holders must abide by to ensure the credibility and reliability of the tree care service profession. The Code sets minimum standards for work quality, but also establishes the level of honesty, integrity, and honor that all Certified Arborists are expected to live by.
What does certification mean to us?
Here at Classic City Arborists, we believe that maintaining the ISA certification is a given. We want to provide our customers with the best service possible, and to do that, we have to know what we’re talking about. Scott readily takes his Continuing Education Units to learn more about the work he loves and ensure that he is as qualified as he possibly can be to help his customers to the best of his ability. At the end of the day, we’re here to serve you, and we are happy to do whatever we can to ensure you get the best service possible.
If you’re interested in learning more about the services we provide, please check out our services page, or contact us directly for more information or to schedule a free estimate!
