Is an arborist the same as a tree surgeon, a logger or a forester?

Job titles in tree work overlap, and each official source below uses its own list. This page reports how those sources use the words. It does not rank the jobs or say which title a person should use. For the routes into the work, see routes into tree work.

Arborist and tree surgeon

The two words name the same kind of work in the sources that use both. Tahatu, the New Zealand government career site run by the Tertiary Education Commission, describes an arborist as someone who cares for, manages and maintains trees by planting, inspecting and pruning them. Its "also known as" line for the arborist career lists utility arborist, climbing arborist, arboriculture consultant, urban forester and tree surgeon.

The National Careers Service in England titles its profile "tree surgeon". The tasks it lists are spotting hazards that trees cause, climbing to cut back or take off branches, felling and removing trees and stumps, planting trees and assessing their health, and working with clients on tree survey reports. The first apprenticeship it names for the role is the Arborist Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

O*NET, the US Department of Labor occupation database, files the work under "Tree Trimmers and Pruners", code 37-3013.00. Its sample of reported job titles for that code includes Arborist, Climber, Groundsman, Tree Climber and Tree Trimmer.

Logging workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps loggers in a different group. Its logging workers page describes them as people who harvest trees to provide raw material for consumer and industrial products. It describes fallers as workers who cut down trees with hand-held power chain saws, and says fallers typically work as part of logging operations where the terrain is inaccessible to large logging equipment. The page gives the group the code 45-4020. It lists the share employed in logging as 49 percent, self-employed as 30 percent and sawmills and wood preservation as 11 percent.

The Bureau's tree trimmers and pruners are covered on its grounds maintenance workers page, a separate occupation group. That page describes them as workers who cut dead or surplus branches to clear utility lines, roads and sidewalks, and says some specialize in diagnosing and treating tree diseases.

Foresters

The Bureau's page on conservation scientists and foresters describes forester duties as making plans to regrow forests, tracking reforested land, overseeing tree harvests and designing plans to protect forests from disease, pests and wildfire. It says the group typically needs a bachelor's degree in forestry, natural resources or a related field. The National Careers Service lists forestry worker and arboricultural officer among the careers related to tree surgeon, so the English profile treats them as neighbouring jobs rather than the same one.

Side by side

Title	Source and group	What the source says the work is
Arborist	Tahatu (New Zealand), O*NET 37-3013.00 (US)	Planting, inspecting and pruning trees; sample title for tree trimmers and pruners
Tree surgeon	National Careers Service (England), Tahatu	Climbing, cutting back and removing trees, tree surveys
Tree trimmer and pruner	Bureau of Labor Statistics, grounds maintenance workers	Cutting dead or excess branches to clear lines, roads and sidewalks
Logging worker, faller	Bureau of Labor Statistics, 45-4020	Harvesting trees in logging operations, felling with hand-held chain saws
Forester	Bureau of Labor Statistics, conservation scientists and foresters	Forest plans, reforestation, harvest oversight, forest protection

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