Is an arborist the same as a forester?

The sources read for this answer file them as different jobs. They describe a forester as someone who manages forested land, and an arborist or tree surgeon as someone who works on individual trees. Both overlap with a third job in England, the arboricultural officer. This page sets out what each source says.

United States: O*NET

O*NET, the US Department of Labor occupation database, lists Foresters under code 19-1032.00. It describes the work as managing forested land, public and private, for economic, recreation and conservation aims. The tasks it lists include setting short and long term plans for forest land, planning cutting programs and timber sales, negotiating forest harvesting and leasing contracts, inspecting forests and nurseries, and supervising other forestry workers. Reported job titles include Area Forester, Resource Forester, Silviculturist and Urban Forester. Its education answer for the job is a bachelor's degree, and it places the job in Job Zone Four, where it says most jobs need a four-year degree.

O*NET lists Tree Trimmers and Pruners under code 37-3013.00. It describes climbing and rigging to take off dead or surplus branches, keeping roads, sidewalks and utility routes clear, or improving how a tree looks and how healthy and valuable it is. Reported titles include Arborist, Climber and Tree Trimmer. It places the job in Job Zone 1 to 2, where it says a high school diploma is usually required, though some jobs do not need one.

England: three National Careers Service profiles

Profile	Day-to-day tasks listed	Where the work is
Forestry worker	Clearing undergrowth for planting seedlings, cutting down trees and branches and preparing timber for removal, fencing, maintaining footpaths and trails, and protecting the forest from pests, disease and fire	Woodland
Tree surgeon	Identifying hazards caused by trees, climbing to cut back or remove branches, cutting down trees and stumps, planting trees and assessing their health, and tree survey reports	Parks, gardens, streets, woodland, rail tracks
Arboricultural officer	Advising on tree preservation orders in planning applications, managing trees in parks, estates and roadsides, assessing storm damage, and carrying out tree surveys	Streets, parks, gardens, woodland or an office

The forestry worker profile says a person may need a licence for chainsaw operations or for driving forestry machinery, and names a Forest Craftsperson Level 3 apprenticeship and a Professional Forester Level 6 degree apprenticeship. The tree surgeon profile says a person may start as a forest labourer or groundworker helping a qualified tree surgeon. The arboricultural officer profile says employers usually look for related experience, such as tree surgeon or arboricultural assistant, and a recognised qualification such as the Level 4 Certificate in Arboriculture. It also names a graduate scheme with Forestry England. Both the forestry worker and arboricultural officer profiles name the Institute of Chartered Foresters, and the tree surgeon profile names the Arboricultural Association.

The sources do not say whether a person can move from one job to another. How the tree work jobs differ from timber felling is in is an arborist the same as a lumberjack, and the England job title is in arborist and tree surgeon.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 for the National Careers Service profiles.

Is an arborist the same as a forester?

United States: O*NET

England: three National Careers Service profiles

Sources