European Tree Worker and European Tree Technician: what they are, the exam parts, and the dates the EAC lists

This page reports what the European Arboricultural Council (EAC) says on its own pages. It is not advice on which credential to take, and the EAC is the only source for its dates. The EAC pages say its certifications rest on the same exam regulations across member countries and are run by national certification centres, so the table of sittings below is copied from the EAC calendar as it stood on October 8, 2026, and the EAC page is the one to check before planning around a date. For the same credentials set beside ISA, TCIA and the UK, Australian and New Zealand bodies, see the tables on who may sit, how each is assessed and renewal.

What each credential is

European Tree Worker (ETW)

The EAC describes the European Tree Worker as a worker who does the hands-on work on and in amenity trees that keeps them healthy and safe, working from arboricultural knowledge and with conservation, environmental protection and safety rules in mind. It says the title was developed from 1996 to 1999 within the European Leonardo da Vinci Programme, to harmonize tree care training across Europe and ease the exchange of tree workers between countries. Successful candidates may use the title "Certified European Tree Worker", for climbing, platform or both, and receive a diploma and an ID card. The EAC says each certification is supervised by an international EAC supervisor and that a trilingual handbook, with a glossary of technical terms, supports exam preparation.

European Tree Technician (ETT)

The EAC defines the European Tree Technician as someone who holds, or is working towards, a junior or middle management or supervisory post in arboriculture. Its page says the field of competence includes technical knowledge plus organisational and supervisory skills. The diploma is "Certified European Tree Technician", with an ID card.

Who may sit

The EAC's ETW rules, version January 2021, say open access is offered to those with the technical skill, and that the examining board alone decides on entry. The rules list a minimum age of 18, a signed Code of Ethics declaration, a medical certificate or self-declaration, valid first aid, chainsaw training, and for climbers and platform operators at least one year of tree care experience. A climber without proof of aerial rescue skills sits an optional rescue simulation. For the ETT, the EAC page asks for a European Tree Worker certificate, or a green industry certificate or diploma that a national arboricultural organisation and the EAC both recognize, plus at least three years of current experience in the green industry.

The exam parts

For the ETW, the January 2021 rules list a written theory exam, an oral exam, a tree identification exam, a general practical exam, climbing and platform practicals and a ground worker part, with two simulations and an optional aerial rescue simulation. The rules set a pass rate of 50 percent for each part and 67 percent for tree identification. A failed part can be retaken twice, from one month up to two years after the first exam. For the ETT, the EAC page lists three parts: a supervised written exam of up to 180 minutes, a tree inspection management exercise of up to 60 minutes, and a management exercise in economics, law and social studies of up to 180 minutes, with oral questions in both exercises. Question counts and times for the ETW are in the exams table linked above. The EAC pages read give no exam fee. The rules refer to a scale of fees on the EAC website, and none was found on the pages read.

Countries and centres the EAC lists

The EAC's Certification Centers page says it lists all centres in Europe where ETW and ETT exams are offered during the year. It has headings for 22 countries or territories: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A heading is a centre listing, not a promise of a sitting: the calendar below shows which of those countries have a dated sitting.

Exam dates the EAC lists

The EAC's certification calendar, read October 8, 2026, shows 38 sittings from October 10, 2026 to January 15, 2028. By the country code in the place column, Germany has 20, the Netherlands 4, Belgium 3, and Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and Austria 2 each, with the Czech Republic, Denmark and Sweden 1 each. The EAC page also offers a filter for Veteran Tree Specialist levels, and no sitting at those levels appears in this list. Each row is one line of the EAC calendar. The levels are the EAC's: ETW, ETW Platform and ETT.

Keeping the certificate

Both certificates are valid for three years, according to the EAC. Renewal terms (24 of the previous 36 months of work, first aid, a medical certificate or self-declaration for the ETW, and 30 hours of courses for the ETW or 45 for the ETT) are in the table on renewal, CEUs, CPD and fees. The EAC infocenter page also sets reduced hour counts for ETW certificates that expired in the years 2019 to 2023 under its pandemic arrangement.

Sources

• European Arboricultural Council, European Tree Worker, read October 8, 2026
• European Arboricultural Council, European Tree Technician, read October 8, 2026
• European Arboricultural Council, Upcoming certification events calendar, read October 8, 2026
• European Arboricultural Council, Certification Centers, read October 8, 2026
• European Arboricultural Council, European Tree Worker exam rules, version January 2021, read October 8, 2026
• European Arboricultural Council, ETW infocenter, read October 8, 2026