Certifications by country: what employers ask for

This page lists what employers and training bodies name in each country. It is a map, not advice on which one to take. Where a law requires something, the page says so and names the source.

United States

Employers often ask for a credential from a private body. ISA calls its certification program a voluntary program, and its program guides say the credentials are not a license to practise.

ISA Certified Arborist

This is a knowledge exam. The program guide, revised August 2025, splits it into 10 areas, from tree biology to safe work practices. Applying takes three years of full-time arboriculture experience, or a mix of education and experience. One year counts as about 1,795 hours. The guide lists an application fee of US$40 for ISA members and credential holders and US$50 for everyone else, and an exam fee of US$295 or US$369. A retake costs US$120. The certification lasts three years. To renew you retake the exam, or log 30 continuing education units and pay US$220. Source: the ISA Certified Arborist program guide.

ISA Certified Tree Climber

This one has a skills test as well as a knowledge exam. The guide asks for 18 months of climbing experience in arboriculture. It also asks for proof of hands-on CPR and first aid training and of practice aerial rescue training. The fees match the Certified Arborist guide. To renew you retake the exam, or log 15 continuing education units, show current CPR, first aid and aerial rescue training, and pay US$220. Source: the ISA Certified Tree Climber program guide.

TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional

The Tree Care Industry Association runs this credential. TCIA lists three ways in. One is three years of tree care field experience with at least one year of safety responsibility. Its page gives a program fee of US$648 for TCIA members and US$874 for others, US$60 per exam retake, and a three-year renewal with 30 continuing education units. See the TCIA program page.

Commercial driver license

A CDL is a state license under federal vehicle groups. Group A is a combination with a gross rating of 26,001 pounds or more where the towed vehicle is over 10,000 pounds. Group B is a single vehicle of 26,001 pounds or more. The text is in 49 CFR 383.91.

ISA Certified Arborist Utility Specialist

This is an add-on for people who work on electric utility vegetation management. The program guide, revised August 2025, asks for a current ISA Certified Arborist who has 2,000 hours of utility vegetation management work in the two years before applying, or 36 months of full-time utility work within 10 years. The exam fee is US$295 for ISA members and credential holders and US$369 for everyone else, and the certification lasts three years. To renew you retake the exam, or log 6 continuing education units and pay US$95. Source: the ISA Utility Specialist program guide.

ISA exams are held on paper through a chapter or partner, or on computer at a Pearson VUE centre. ISA says it gives no refunds on exam enrolments and does not take registrations on the day. See the ISA exam information page.

Work near power lines

OSHA standard 1910.269 covers line-clearance tree trimming done to clear space around electric power lines or equipment, on behalf of an organization that operates or controls those lines or equipment. For qualified employees, meaning people knowledgeable in the construction and operation of the electric equipment and its hazards, the whole standard applies except paragraph (r)(1). For trimmers who are not qualified employees, a shorter list of paragraphs applies, and the standard says they must also be trained and competent in the skills it lists. It says the degree of training depends on the risk to the employee. The standard itself is OSHA 1910.269 on osha.gov.

State arborist licences

A few states license tree work themselves, and that is a state law, not an employer preference. These four are examples from the state sources, not a full list.

State	What the source says	Fees and term
Connecticut	No person may advertise, solicit or contract to do arboriculture without a licence. Work on your own or your employer's property is exempt.	Exam US$200, licence US$285, valid five years
Maryland	The work or business of a tree expert needs a licence. A supervised employee may not be required to hold one in their own name. Trees 20 feet or less are excluded.	Age 18, experience, insurance
New Jersey	Two licences by exam: Tree Care Operator and Tree Expert. Reciprocity at the Board's discretion.	See the Board's page
Louisiana	An arborist licence is required if you work on trees for a fee. Utility right-of-way removal has its own licence.	US$125 per year, expires January 31

Connecticut also requires each arborist business to employ at least one licensed arborist at each place of business. Sources: Connecticut General Statutes chapter 451, the Maryland tree expert law, the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts and the Louisiana arborist licensing page.

Canada

The rules depend on the province.

Ontario

Skilled Trades Ontario lists Arborist as a trade with an apprenticeship of 6,120 hours: 5,400 on the job and 720 in school. Passing the certifying exam earns a Certificate of Qualification. The page says the trade is non-compulsory, so the certificate does not have to be renewed and holders do not appear on the public register. See the Skilled Trades Ontario arborist page. Utility Arborist is a separate non-compulsory trade of 6,000 hours: 5,340 on the job and 660 in school.

British Columbia

SkilledTradesBC lists three arborist programs. Its pages say Arborist Technician must be taken before Climbing Arborist.

Program	Technical training	Work-based hours
Arborist Technician	8 weeks over 1 year	1,600
Climbing Arborist	8 weeks over 1 year	1,800
Utility Arborist	8 weeks over 2 years	2,378

See the SkilledTradesBC Utility Arborist page. For work near power lines, the WorkSafeBC Occupational Health and Safety Regulation says tree pruning or falling inside the listed minimum distances from overhead energised high-voltage conductors must be done by a worker authorised by the owner of the power system. It also says a certified utility arborist or a qualified electrical worker must be at the site and directing the work, and that an apprentice utility arborist may work to the certified limit only under direct supervision of a certified utility arborist. The text is in Part 19 of the regulation.

Quebec

Quebec is the exception. The government page says the arboriculture qualification certificate is mandatory for anyone doing arboriculture work for an employer, and working without a valid certificate or apprentice card is an offence that carries a fine. Apprentices log at least 1,800 hours under a certified worker and complete two required courses, one on manual felling health and safety and one on arboriculture work techniques. The exam is written, three hours, 45 to 50 multiple choice questions, with a pass mark of 60 percent. It is in French, with English on request where a Charter exception applies. The certificate is valid for four years. The government's tariff in force since January 1, 2026 lists CA$136.00 for the apprentice card, CA$67.50 for its yearly renewal, CA$136.00 to register for the exam or a retake, and CA$84.50 to renew the certificate (Quebec tariff for qualification programs). The page also says the ministry may issue the certificate without an exam to holders of an equivalent certificate from another province, a territory or a recognised body. Registration has been open to everyone since April 1, 2026. The quebec.ca arboriculture page gives the transition rules for current workers.

Elsewhere

The federal Job Bank requirements page says an apprenticeship program is available for arboriculturists, and lists regulatory bodies by province.

United Kingdom

The Health and Safety Executive says all workers must be adequately trained and competent to do their job safely. Employers must give health and safety training in working hours, and workers must not pay for it. HSE names City and Guilds NPTC and Lantra Awards as the awarding bodies, and says refresher training is recommended at set intervals for high-risk work such as chainsaws.

The HSE leaflet INDG317, Chainsaws at work, quotes the approved code of practice to the work equipment regulations. It says that before using a chainsaw on or in a tree, a worker should have received appropriate training and obtained a relevant certificate of competence or national competence award, unless they are training and adequately supervised. The same leaflet suggests refresher training every two to three years for occasional users and every five years for full-time users. It was published in January 2013.

The Forestry Industry Safety Accord guide 805, updated August 2025, recommends recorded refresher training at least every five years for chainsaw and aerial tree work. It recommends professional chainsaw operators working in forestry confirm their training by independent assessment leading to a recognised qualification, and says this is a common contract requirement. For people trained outside the UK, it says employers should check the standard is met, and if they cannot, FISA recommends a UK qualification. See the FISA 805 guide.

Unit numbers and codes have changed over the years, so older job ads may use codes that awarding bodies no longer list.

Lantra's page for its five-day tree access and rescue course names the Level 2 Award in Accessing a Tree Using a Rope and Harness and the Level 3 Award in Aerial Tree Rescue Operations as the qualifications professional users must achieve. See its aerial arboriculture page. It also lists a Level 3 Award in Aerial Cutting of Trees with a Chainsaw Using Free-Fall Techniques. Lantra's page says its Level 3 Award in Accessing a Tree Using a Rope and Harness and Aerial Rescue is a requirement for professional users to carry out aerial tree work in the UK, and that its Level 3 chainsaw awards are requirements for professional users to operate chainsaws. Lantra also runs an online certificate checker for its certificates and skills cards.

Australia

The trade qualification is the Certificate III in Arboriculture, code AHC30824. The national register, training.gov.au, shows it as current from May 1, 2024. The older AHC30820 shows as superseded, with an end date of April 30, 2024.

The register lists 18 units: 9 core and 9 elective. Core units include AHCARB316 Perform pruning operations, FWPCOT2254 Maintain chainsaws, FWPCOT3350 Fell trees manually (intermediate) and HLTAID011 Provide First Aid. A climbing arborist specialisation needs all three of AHCARB317 Dismantle trees, AHCARB318 Undertake aerial rescue and AHCARB319 Use arborist climbing techniques. The other specialisations are crane, EWP arborist, environmental arborist and works coordinator. The register says there are no entry requirements, and that tree laws apply in some states and territories. See the AHC30824 listing.

Below the trade level, AHC20520 Certificate II in Arboriculture is still current, release 2 from February 15, 2022. The register has no entry requirements for it and calls it suitable as a pre-apprenticeship or school-based program. See the AHC20520 listing. There is no current Certificate IV in Arboriculture: AHC41916 shows as deleted on the register.

The EWP arborist specialisation lists TLILIC0005, the licence unit for a boom-type EWP with a boom of 11 metres or more. WorkSafe WA says workers need a high risk work licence to operate a boom-type EWP with a boom of 11 m or more (WorkSafe WA on boom-type EWP rules). SafeWork NSW says high risk work licences last five years and can be renewed up to 12 months after expiry, after which you retrain and are reassessed (SafeWork NSW licence page).

The Diploma of Arboriculture is AHC50524, current, release 2 from February 11, 2025. It is aimed at consulting arborists and tree managers, and entry needs three units, AHCARB314, AHCARB316 and AHCARB323, or their equivalent. AHC50520 shows as superseded. See the AHC50524 listing.

New Zealand

Primary ITO lists the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture, Arboriculture at Level 3. It runs 12 months with six off-job tutorial days, and learners must be employed in the sector. Primary ITO says it covers climbing, one-person aerial rescue, chipper use, ground person duties and basic felling. Its page shows a fee of NZ$1,932.00 including GST, and from NZ$7,261.77 for non-funded learners. See the Primary ITO Level 3 page.

The New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture Services, Arboriculture at Level 4 runs 15 months, also for people employed in the sector. Primary ITO lists NZ$1,437.50 including GST, and from NZ$8,442.35 non-funded. Its outcomes include climbing difficult trees, aerial rescue above 15 metres and visual tree assessments. See the Level 4 page.

The New Zealand Apprenticeship in Arboriculture combines Level 3 and Level 4. Primary ITO's apprenticeship page says level 5 qualifications are needed to be a fully qualified arborist. Fees change.

At a glance

Country	Names you see	Legal note
US	ISA Certified Arborist, Tree Climber, Utility Specialist, TCIA CTSP, CDL	ISA is voluntary; some states license tree work
Canada	ISA, Ontario Arborist, BC Climbing Arborist, Quebec ARBO	Ontario optional; Quebec mandatory for employed work
UK	City and Guilds NPTC, Lantra awards	HSE requires training; guidance expects a chainsaw certificate
Australia	AHC30824, AHC50524, EWP licence	Tree laws apply in some states; EWP 11 m licence
New Zealand	NZ Certificate, Levels 3 and 4	Not stated

The guide on choosing a climbing course covers how to pick a provider.