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Is arborist a Red Seal trade in Canada?

The Red Seal trade list does not name arborist. This page reports what the Red Seal program says it is, what the list shows, and what the provinces say about arborist certification.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

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

The Red Seal Program page describes a Red Seal endorsement as a mark added to a provincial or territorial trade certificate, showing the holder can practise the trade anywhere in Canada, and earned by passing the Red Seal exam. The page also says not all trades are designated Red Seal. The alphabetical list of Red Seal trades includes Landscape Horticulturist, Mobile Crane Operator, Powerline Technician and Tower Crane Operator. No trade called Arborist, Climbing Arborist or Utility Arborist is on it. For arborist routes in each province see arborist trades across Canada.

What Job Bank says

The Government of Canada Job Bank requirements page covers arborists under NOC 22114, landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists. It says horticulturists, arboriculturists and landscape gardeners can train through an apprenticeship program, and that trade certification for landscape horticulturists is available but voluntary in all provinces. It says Red Seal endorsement is available to qualified landscape horticulturists who pass the interprovincial Red Seal exam. The page also lists regulated titles by province, including Arborist and Utility Arborist under Skilled Trades Ontario, and Landscape Horticulturist in several provinces.

What the provinces say about arborist trades

  • Ontario. The arborist page from Skilled Trades Ontario says Arborist is a trade named under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, with an apprenticeship program and a certifying exam. It says the trade is non-compulsory, so the Certificate of Qualification does not have to be renewed.
  • British Columbia. SkilledTradesBC lists Climbing Arborist and Utility Arborist as separate programs. Climbing Arborist is 1,800 hours of work-based training and eight weeks of technical training over one year. Utility Arborist is 2,378 hours of work-based training and eight weeks of technical training over two years.
  • Quebec. The government of Quebec says a qualification certificate in arboriculture is mandatory for anyone doing arboriculture work for an employer, as defined in its health and safety regulation.

Reading the three together

A province-issued arborist certificate and a Red Seal endorsement are two different things in the sources above. The provinces issue arborist trade certificates. The Red Seal list does not include the trade, so the sources describe no Red Seal endorsement for an arborist certificate. Job Bank names Landscape Horticulturist, which is on the list, as the horticulture trade with a Red Seal exam.

Sources