Arboriculture programs in Canada: college certificates and apprenticeship schooling

This page describes programs from the pages of four colleges and two trade authorities, all read on October 9, 2026. It lists what each page says: length, place, intake and entry wording. It does not rank schools, give fees or say which program suits which person. Fees are on each college page and change by year. Other colleges run arboriculture programs too. Which provinces name an arborist trade is on the Canada arborist trades guide.

Olds College, Alberta

Olds lists an Arboriculture Technician Certificate as a four month, on-campus program with fall and winter intakes, and calls itself "the only program of its kind in Alberta". The page says students do ground and aerial operations, pruning and tree risk assessments in a 12,000 square foot campus pavilion and the college's urban forest. Admission wording is 50 percent or better in English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2 and in Math 20-1 or 20-2, plus 50 percent or better in two of Biology 20, Chemistry 20 or Science 20, or in one of Biology 30, Chemistry 30 or Science 30. The page lists an alternate admission route for applicants who miss one of those. It says applications for 2027-28 are open.

Olds also lists a two week Utility Tree Worker and Tree Trimmer Certificate course, made and kept up by the Professional Vegetation Managers Association (PVMA) with Olds College, the Electrical Safety Technical Service Division of Alberta Labour and Alberta utilities. The page lists an online live lecture week of April 12 to 16, 2027, then a field week of either April 19 to 23 or April 26 to 29, 2027. The page says enrolment needs PVMA-approved proof of 1,200 hours of related tree and brush work around power lines. The page says that after the course the person completes certification with the PVMA by documenting another 1,200 hours.

Humber Polytechnic, Toronto

Program	What the page says
Arboriculture - Apprenticeship (code 444A, certificate)	A 12 week Level 1 session and a 12 week Level 2 session at the North Campus. The page says the apprenticeship is regulated and that apprentice and employer register through Skilled Trades Ontario, which schedules the in-school portion and sends an Offer of Classroom Training letter. It says field practice is two to three days a week, with climbing at heights of 40 feet or more in at least half of field time.
Urban Arboriculture - Tree Care (code 01991, certificate)	Two semesters, September start. The page says it covers tree biology, hazard assessment, pruning, climbing, aerial rescue and chainsaw operation. Entry wording is an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent with Grade 12 English, or mature student status, or transfer status from a college or university. Field sessions run two days a week, with climbing at heights of 40 feet or more in at least half of field time.

Program

What the page says

Arboriculture - Apprenticeship (code 444A, certificate)

A 12 week Level 1 session and a 12 week Level 2 session at the North Campus. The page says the apprenticeship is regulated and that apprentice and employer register through Skilled Trades Ontario, which schedules the in-school portion and sends an Offer of Classroom Training letter. It says field practice is two to three days a week, with climbing at heights of 40 feet or more in at least half of field time.

Urban Arboriculture - Tree Care (code 01991, certificate)

Two semesters, September start. The page says it covers tree biology, hazard assessment, pruning, climbing, aerial rescue and chainsaw operation. Entry wording is an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent with Grade 12 English, or mature student status, or transfer status from a college or university. Field sessions run two days a week, with climbing at heights of 40 feet or more in at least half of field time.

Algonquin College, Pembroke

Algonquin lists Urban Forestry - Arboriculture as a one year Ontario College Certificate at its Pembroke campus, program code 1214X01FPM. The availability table shows Fall 2026 and Fall 2027 start terms, with Level 01 in the fall and Level 02 in winter. Program eligibility wording is Grade 12 English (ENG4C) or equivalent at 60 percent or higher, besides the college eligibility of an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or mature student status. The course list includes Basic Tree Climbing (FOR7101, 84 hours) and Equipment Operations and Maintenance. The fees section says students receive a climbing package, including a harness, through the program ancillary fees.

Fleming College, Lindsay

Fleming lists Arboriculture (Co-op) as an Ontario College Certificate of two semesters, program code AR, delivered in person with co-op at the Frost Campus in Lindsay, by its School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. Start dates on the page are January 11, 2027 and January 10, 2028. The page says domestic applications are open for both and that international availability is closed for the 2027 start. It says the program has a mandatory paid co-op semester from May to September and that roughly 60 percent of study time is in the field with trees and shrubs.

The page says the program covers safe tree climbing techniques, aerial rescue, pruning, tree removal, power line clearing and equipment operation, and that graduates identify approximately 140 species of trees and shrubs in summer and winter conditions. It states that the program covers all of the formal training listed as Arborist and Utility Arborist Common Core Level 1 (444A and 444B), Arborist Level 2 (444A) and Utility Arborist Level 2 (444B) in the Ontario apprenticeship. Minimum admission wording is an Ontario Secondary School Diploma including Grade 12 C English. The page recommends but does not require excellent physical condition, minimal fear of heights and standard first aid and CPR. It also says the college hands each student a climbing rope, an eye-to-eye friction hitch, three carabiners, a hard hat, helmet-mounted hearing protection and a practice rope on day one, and that students supply the rest of the gear, including a climbing harness and chainsaw pants.

What the trade authorities say about schooling

Skilled Trades Ontario describes the Arborist trade as a program of on-the-job and in-school training, generally 6,120 hours (about three years): 5,400 hours of on-the-job experience and 720 hours in school. Its page says the in-school part has two levels and, depending on the training delivery agency, may be block release, day release, part-time or alternative delivery such as online.

SkilledTradesBC lists an Arborist Technician program of 8 weeks of technical training over 1 year plus 1,600 hours of work-based training. Its page says the technical training is taken with a SkilledTradesBC-designated training provider, and that Arborist Technician must be taken before Climbing Arborist.