When climbing stops: ground-based and office roles the official profiles list

This page reports what the official sources say. It does not say that any role is open to a person who has stopped climbing, and it is not career, health or medical advice. The profiles describe jobs in general, not what a particular employer hires for. The wider map of routes is in the guide to where tree work leads. Support for workers hurt on the job is listed in the guide to mental health and support.

Canada: three unit groups in the national occupation list

The National Occupational Classification, run by Employment and Social Development Canada, puts arborists and tree service technicians in unit group 22114, landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists. The group's example titles include arborist, arboriculturist, plant doctor, tree and shrub specialist and tree service technician. Its duties for arborists and tree service technicians are examining trees and shrubs to diagnose problems and disease and applying treatments such as pruning, spraying, repairing damaged areas and injecting treatment solutions. It names an apprenticeship program for arboriculturists, and says a two-to-three year college program in arboriculture or a related field is usually required.

The same profile lists the unit groups it leaves out. One is the group for contractors and supervisors in landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services, 82031. That profile says the group is employed by, among others, lawn care and tree service companies. Its example titles include tree service supervisor, tree service contractor, tree removal contractor and park section head for arboriculture. The duties it lists are:

supervising and coordinating the work crews;
tendering bids on contracts;
planning and estimating materials and labour for each contract;
setting work schedules and procedures;
preparing progress reports and keeping financial and personnel records;
hiring staff and training workers in job duties and company policies.

It adds that people in the group may manage the operations of their own company and may perform the same duties as the workers they supervise. The profile says experience as a landscape or horticulture supervisor or technician is required, and that a college diploma or industry training and certification is usually required.

Job Bank's arborist prospects page reports that 32 percent of workers in the occupation were aged 50 and over and that the median retirement age in 2023 was 65.0.

United Kingdom: the National Careers Service tree surgeon profile

The National Careers Service tree surgeon profile lists what a person could do with experience: become a supervisor or manager, train to be an arboricultural officer, start their own business, or move into recreational tree climbing and take people into treetops as an outdoor activity. Its related careers are arboricultural officer, countryside ranger, countryside officer, forestry worker and gardener. The same profile lists day-to-day tasks that include identifying hazards caused by trees, planting trees and assessing their health, and working with clients to produce tree survey reports. It says the working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, at height, dusty and physically demanding.

United States: O*NET tasks for tree trimmers and pruners

O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the US Department of Labor, lists 24 tasks for tree trimmers and pruners, code 37-3013.00. Several are on the ground or in the office rather than aloft. They include supervising others engaged in tree trimming work and training lower-level employees, planning and developing budgets for tree work and estimating the monetary value of trees, inspecting trees for diseases or pest problems, and providing information to the public regarding trees. Its list of reported job titles includes plant health care technician. The page also reports how workers answered its work-context questions: 48 percent said they are exposed to high places every day, and 33 percent rated coordinating or leading others as very important.

What the profiles do not say

None of the profiles says how many workers move from climbing to these roles, at what age, or after what kind of injury. They list the roles and the duties, and the Canadian age figure is the only workforce age number among them. For the entry side, with the age wording on apprenticeship rules, see the guide to starting tree work later in life.