Powerline clearance tree trimmer apprenticeship: the Northwest Line JATC in the Pacific Northwest
How a joint union and contractor training committee describes its tree trimmer apprenticeship in Washington and Oregon: entry rules, points, length, steps and fees, taken from its own pages.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 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.
Every statement below is the training committee's own description of its program and not an independent check. The Northwest Line Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee says on its about page that it is a collaboration between contractors of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and that its area covers Washington, Oregon, Northern California and Northern Idaho. Its home page says apprentices in the program are represented by IBEW outside locals 77, 125, 483 and 659. For the wider picture of utility tree work, see utility line clearance, and for unions in the trade see unions in tree work in the United States.
The work
The program page describes powerline clearance tree trimmers as providing tree maintenance and removal typically near active power lines. It says trimmers typically work in excess of 100 feet, using ropes and aerial lifts, and that the work includes cleanup during and after storms and other natural disasters. Its duty list names applying chemical herbicide, rigging with ropes and knots, climbing, dragging and chipping brush, operating chainsaws, pruning and removing trees near overhead and underground power utilities, and supervising ground crew and training future apprentices.
Entry rules and the points list
The page lists these minimum requirements: a completed online application, an official high school transcript or equivalent, a valid driver's license and being 18 or older. It also asks that the applicant be able to obtain a valid Class B commercial driver's permit with no Class E restrictions within 90 days of employment, and valid first aid and CPR certification renewed each year, plus a flagging and traffic control certification issued by Oregon, Washington, Idaho or Montana. It says online certifications are not accepted.
Qualifying applications are scored on a point system. The page gives these examples: 1,000 hours of power line clearance work scores 8 points, 1,000 hours as a residential trimmer scores 4 points, and 2,000 hours as a ground worker or in logging scores 1 point. A high school diploma scores 5 points, a commercial driver's license Class A scores 8 points and Class B 6 points, ISA certification scores 2 points, and a Firefighter RED Card scores 5 points. The page lists further points for degrees, trade school, pesticide credentials and military or national service.
How the program runs
The frequently asked questions page says the tree apprenticeship is 4,000 hours of on-the-job training, completed in approximately two years, through four steps that each bring a pay increase. The program page gives the steps as 75, 80, 85 and 90 percent of the fully trained worker's wage. Apprentices attend school as a mix of online learning, classroom training and hands-on labs.
Applications are accepted all year, and the rank list is updated on the first Tuesday of every month. An applicant remains on a rank list for two years or until indentured. Applicants choose among five working areas: Northwestern, Southwestern and Eastern Washington, and Northern and Southern Oregon. After being called into an area, an apprentice works only in that area for the program. The page says a contractor that needs an apprentice contacts the committee, which notifies the top-ranked applicant for that area. It states there is no application fee and that contractors withhold US$15.00 per week from the check and send it to the committee.
Previous work may be given as credit toward the first advancement at the program's discretion, with documentation on company letterhead.
At a glance
| Item | What the program says |
|---|---|
| Length | 4,000 hours, about two years, four steps |
| Area | Washington and Oregon, five working areas |
| Application fee | None |
| Weekly fee | US$15.00 withheld by contractors and sent to the committee |
| Rank list | Updated first Tuesday of each month, two years on the list |
| Wage steps | 75, 80, 85 and 90 percent of the fully trained worker's wage |