Arborist - Tree Climber

There are a couple of different jobs that you could do as an arborist, but one option is being a tree climber, or a climbing arborist. Tree climbers usually focus on different types of tree pruning, such as removing dead wood, thinning or reducing the crown of a tree (the top of the tree), branch weight reduction, and tree removals. Climbing arborists will also evaluate trees, in order to gauge how healthy the tree is, and what the possible risks the tree provides. Occasionally, tree climbers will also install support systems within the canopy to reduce the risk of falling branches. Overall, climbing arborists perform vital upkeep on trees at homes, parks, roads and cities.

$63,000 median salary

Job Training & Certifications

A Day in the Job

To start, the arborist moves out to the site with a ground crew, sometimes consisting of multiple people, sometimes just one person. Once the ground crew clears out debris from the area, and does some safety checks, the arborist sets up the rigging system by securing a line to the tree, and using a hitch knot and a saddle to scale up the tree. Then, the arborist removes smaller branches and throws them down to the ground. If needed, the arborist then ties a rope around bigger branches, cuts them off, and uses a makeshift pulley system to lower them to the ground crew. Throughout the day, the arborist needs to have thorough knowledge of ropes systems, so they don't get hurt, and they don't hurt others, and tree health, so they know which branches to cut off.