What is an Arborist ?
Here's what the public should know...
Unfortunately, in Wyoming and most parts of the United States, one doesn't have to prove any professional competency to the public before working with our trees and making decisions that will affect our trees' value, longevity, health, or have an impact on public safety.
Unlike we find with plumbers and electricians, nurses and teachers; the uninformed can legally operate in the professional field of Arboriculture and compete for your business next to those that may have earned intensive degrees or credentials, professionals that have invested tens of thousands of dollars in education and professional advancement over periods of decades.
So, while one can go out and invest to earn an ISA credential and meet their continuing education requirements to ensure that they're informed and offering an approach based on approved standards, it certainly is not required.
However, tree physiology and biology, is not intuitive and therefore, neither is tree care. We rely on nearly a century of documented and empirical observation, audited by peer review, stemming from around the globe. Our actions as tree care practitioners, positive or not, carry implications for generations.
The subject of how living trees respond to a pruning cut encompasses at least fifty years of research, and has resulted in a model we call Compartmentalization of Damage in Trees (CODIT). This model has shifted our entire approach to pruning and wound treatment over the short course of the last half-century and is still producing very real changes in practical application today. Most of this research is now being conducted in Germany, meaning there's often a delay as we wait for texts to be translated into English.
CODIT is infused to varying degrees throughout the ISA credential programs. Working with an ISA professional will guarantee you are working with someone that is aware that there's a right way to make a pruning cut, and that pruning is wounding which evokes a stress response.
But as the old saying goes, you can't know what you don't know. Many well-meaning yet uninformed workers inflict irreparable damage on trees every day, by the simple act of not knowing. The difference here between informed action and personal opinion is stark!
If you want to support professionalism and help raise the standard of tree care in the interest of seeing healthy trees in your community, I recommend you work exclusively with professionals that have invested their time and resources into earning an ISA credential. This credential shows their dedication to the professional practice of tree care. Personally, I believe this also speaks to a person's level of concern for you and your tree's well-being.
This does not mean that all ISA credential holders are equal, quite the contrary. There's a vast expanse between the comprehension and skills required to become an ISA Certified Arborist and an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. This is why Master Arborists make up less than 2% of all Arborists worldwide.
So consider this, when you begin wondering about hiring someone to care for your trees. Cultures are shaped by what we tolerate and nurture.
Invest in an informed culture of tree care, in practitioners that have strived to be of value to their communities and are consistently seeking professional growth. Reward excellence and dedication, for healthier trees and healthier communities.
To access the ISA public directory where you can Find an Arborist near you or Verify a Credential, click the link below.
ISA Public Directory: Find an Arborist/Verify a Credential
You might also enjoy further reading here, on Why Hire an Arborist
Unfortunately, in Wyoming and most parts of the United States, one doesn't have to prove any professional competency to the public before working with our trees and making decisions that will affect our trees' value, longevity, health, or have an impact on public safety.
Unlike we find with plumbers and electricians, nurses and teachers; the uninformed can legally operate in the professional field of Arboriculture and compete for your business next to those that may have earned intensive degrees or credentials, professionals that have invested tens of thousands of dollars in education and professional advancement over periods of decades.
So, while one can go out and invest to earn an ISA credential and meet their continuing education requirements to ensure that they're informed and offering an approach based on approved standards, it certainly is not required.
However, tree physiology and biology, is not intuitive and therefore, neither is tree care. We rely on nearly a century of documented and empirical observation, audited by peer review, stemming from around the globe. Our actions as tree care practitioners, positive or not, carry implications for generations.
The subject of how living trees respond to a pruning cut encompasses at least fifty years of research, and has resulted in a model we call Compartmentalization of Damage in Trees (CODIT). This model has shifted our entire approach to pruning and wound treatment over the short course of the last half-century and is still producing very real changes in practical application today. Most of this research is now being conducted in Germany, meaning there's often a delay as we wait for texts to be translated into English.
CODIT is infused to varying degrees throughout the ISA credential programs. Working with an ISA professional will guarantee you are working with someone that is aware that there's a right way to make a pruning cut, and that pruning is wounding which evokes a stress response.
But as the old saying goes, you can't know what you don't know. Many well-meaning yet uninformed workers inflict irreparable damage on trees every day, by the simple act of not knowing. The difference here between informed action and personal opinion is stark!
If you want to support professionalism and help raise the standard of tree care in the interest of seeing healthy trees in your community, I recommend you work exclusively with professionals that have invested their time and resources into earning an ISA credential. This credential shows their dedication to the professional practice of tree care. Personally, I believe this also speaks to a person's level of concern for you and your tree's well-being.
This does not mean that all ISA credential holders are equal, quite the contrary. There's a vast expanse between the comprehension and skills required to become an ISA Certified Arborist and an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. This is why Master Arborists make up less than 2% of all Arborists worldwide.
So consider this, when you begin wondering about hiring someone to care for your trees. Cultures are shaped by what we tolerate and nurture.
Invest in an informed culture of tree care, in practitioners that have strived to be of value to their communities and are consistently seeking professional growth. Reward excellence and dedication, for healthier trees and healthier communities.
To access the ISA public directory where you can Find an Arborist near you or Verify a Credential, click the link below.
ISA Public Directory: Find an Arborist/Verify a Credential
You might also enjoy further reading here, on Why Hire an Arborist
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Inner Tree Consulting & Tree Care
854 Leopard Street Sheridan, WY 82801 (307) 763-2914 office@innertreellc.com |
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