Australia: AHC20520 Certificate II in Arboriculture, units and rules
The code, status and eleven core units the national training register shows for the Certificate II in Arboriculture, the ground-based, pre-apprenticeship level.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the national training register says about one qualification. It is not advice on which course to take. The register is the place to check the current text.
The record
| Item | What the register shows |
|---|---|
| Code and title | AHC20520 Certificate II in Arboriculture |
| Status | Current, from August 26, 2020 |
| Release | Release 2, current from February 15, 2022, issued with Training Package Version 7.0. Release 1 came with Version 5.0 |
| Entry requirements | None |
| Units | 11 core units, no electives |
The register describes the qualification as skills and knowledge for ground-based tree workers. It says holders do ground-based work under supervision, including pruning of trees, felling of small trees, operating chainsaws and operating the equipment that processes and removes tree material. It says the work may involve high risk operations in support of arborists. It states that the qualification is suitable as a pre-apprenticeship or school-based program for introduction to the industry, and that legislation, regulations and by-laws on treating and removing trees apply in some states and territories.
The trade qualification one level up is on the page for the Certificate III in Arboriculture. How apprenticeships sit around these qualifications is in the apprenticeships guide.
The eleven core units
The packaging rules list eleven core units and nothing else, so every unit below is part of the qualification.
| Code | Unit title |
|---|---|
| AHCARB211 | Apply treatments to trees |
| AHCARB212 | Operate and maintain stump grinding machines |
| AHCARB213 | Perform ground-based rigging |
| AHCARB214 | Recognise trees |
| AHCARB316 | Perform pruning operations |
| FWPCOT2236 | Fall trees manually (basic) |
| FWPCOT2237 | Maintain chainsaws |
| FWPCOT2239 | Trim and cut felled trees |
| FWPCOT3238 | Operate a pole saw |
| FWPHAR2206 | Operate a mobile chipper/mulcher |
| HLTAID011 | Provide First Aid |
How it compares with the Certificate III core
Several titles repeat across the two levels. Both list perform ground-based rigging, perform pruning operations and provide first aid. The Certificate II lists stump grinding, a mobile chipper and a pole saw as core units. The Certificate III core instead lists tree maintenance programs, inspecting trees for access and work, and manual felling at the intermediate level, and it lists stump grinding and the chipper unit among its general electives. Chainsaw maintenance and the trimming of felled trees appear in both, under different codes.
Other pages on this site cover the safety side of the same ground tasks: chippers and stump grinders and chainsaw tickets by country.