How do you become an arborist in Canada?

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here.

Canada has no single national route. Trades are run by each province, so the answer depends on where the work is. The federal Job Bank page for arborists, which covers NOC 22114 (landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists), says the job usually calls for two to three years of college study in a field such as agronomy, arboriculture, horticulture or landscaping. It says arboriculturists can train through an apprenticeship program, that trade certification for landscape horticulturists is voluntary in all provinces, and that a provincial licence to apply pesticides may be required. The province-by-province guide is arborist trades across Canada.

Route by province

Province	Route the official page describes	Certificate status
Ontario	Apprenticeship of 6,120 hours: 5,400 on the job and 720 in school	Non-compulsory trade; the Certificate of Qualification does not have to be renewed
British Columbia	Climbing Arborist: 1,800 hours of work-based training and eight weeks of technical training over one year. Utility Arborist: 2,378 hours and eight weeks over two years	Written exam plus a practical assessment for Climbing Arborist
Quebec	Registration in the apprenticeship program, at least 1,800 hours under a certified worker, the required courses the page lists, then a qualification exam	Certificate mandatory for arboriculture work for an employer

Ontario

The arborist page from Skilled Trades Ontario says the time to become competent is generally 6,120 hours, made up of 5,400 hours of on-the-job work and 720 hours of in-school training, with two levels of in-school training. Subjects listed include safe work practices, tools and felling techniques, arboricultural sciences, tree identification, pruning and removal, plant health care, crane-assisted rigging, aerial devices and tree planting. School can be block release, day release, part-time or online. A certifying exam leads to the Certificate of Qualification.

British Columbia

SkilledTradesBC lists Climbing Arborist and Utility Arborist as separate programs. Its Climbing Arborist page says both the apprenticeship and the challenge pathway need a practical assessment as well as a written exam. A person with work experience in the trade who was never certified in Canada may be able to sit the certification exam directly as a Trade Qualifier, and the page says the Program Profile on it lists the eligibility details.

Quebec

The government of Quebec says a qualification certificate in arboriculture, or an apprentice card, is required for arboriculture work for an employer, and that working without a valid one is an offence that carries a fine. Its arboriculture certificate page lists the steps.

Registration in the apprenticeship program has been open to everyone since April 1, 2026.
A required 16-hour health and safety course on manual felling. A 40-hour work technique course is also listed on the page, marked "à venir".
An exam of 3 hours with 45 to 50 multiple-choice questions and a pass mark of 60 percent, held in French, with English on request if an exception in the Charter of the French Language applies.
A certificate valid for four years. The apprentice card is renewed every year.

The page also describes transition measures for workers already employed in arboriculture before June 8, 2026, based on 3,000 or 5,000 hours of work for an employer.