An arborist, arboriculturist, or tree surgeon is a trained and skilled professional who cultivates, manages, and studies trees, shrubs and other woody plants. People know the term logger and lumberjack, but arborist seems to be a fairly unknown term. To simplify the definition, an arborist is someone who maintains and takes care of trees from an aesthetic level down to a microscopic, scientific level.
Arboriculture is an applied science, which means there is an art and studied practice behind it. It requires being able to make educated cuts to benefit a tree’s health and longevity, as well as make the tree look aesthetically pleasing.
Arborists mostly work in an urban forest or city, in or around residential areas. They access the larger trees by rope and saddle, aerial lifts or cranes. Arborists trim or prune trees to help reduce hazards, improve the trees structure and health, remove dead or dying branches and clear space around surrounding structures. Arborists also remove trees that are dead, hazardous, growing in unwanted areas or trees that have failed during storms.
Tree trimming, and tree removal can be very dangerous and has a lot of liability. Making sure you hire educated and safe climbers that do quality work is a must. Also, make sure they are licensed and insured so you, as the homeowner, are not liable if an incident were to occur.
If you enjoy the outdoors, love to stay active and physical, and like to watch things grow and prosper then you should look into a career in the arboriculture field.
