Arboriculturist to forester
An arboriculturist already meets 20% of what the forester role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.2/ 100
1 How much of what a forester is expected to do is already part of an arboriculturist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the forester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forester role treats 5 of its required skills as things an arboriculturist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- conserve forests
- de-limb trees
- forestry regulations
- health and safety regulations
- write technical reports related to trees
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forester role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an arboriculturist background worth leading with.
- already held write technical reports related to trees communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conserve forests assisting and caring
- already held forestry regulations agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held de-limb trees handling and moving
- already held estimate damage information skills
- already held geographic information systems natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the forester role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 36 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn plant disease control required
- still to learn reforestation required
- still to learn sustainable forest management required
- still to learn agronomy required
- still to learn pest control in plants required
- optional, not held animal hunting optional
- still to learn manage forests required
- still to learn supervise forestry workers required
- still to learn organise labour required
- optional, not held coordinate forestry research optional
- optional, not held organise harvests optional
- optional, not held develop natural areas works programmes optional
- optional, not held manage time in forestry optional
- optional, not held work independently in forestry services optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage production enterprise optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn monitor forest health required
- still to learn monitor forest productivity required
- optional, not held forecast timber production optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- still to learn promote environmental awareness required
- optional, not held advise on timber harvest optional
- optional, not held coordinate timber sales optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- still to learn organise tree plantations required
- optional, not held harvest timber optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forester role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 organise tree plantations practise this
- 02 manage forests practise this
- 03 monitor forest health practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held conserve forests skill
- already held de-limb trees skill
- already held forestry regulations knowledge
- already held health and safety regulations knowledge
- already held write technical reports related to trees skill
- already held estimate damage skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn environmental policy required
- optional, not held apply forest legislation optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held coordinate forestry research optional
- optional, not held organise harvests optional
- optional, not held advise on timber harvest optional
- optional, not held animal hunting optional
- optional, not held coordinate timber sales optional
- optional, not held develop natural areas works programmes optional
- optional, not held forecast timber production optional
- optional, not held harvest timber optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held manage time in forestry optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held work independently in forestry services optional
- optional, not held apply forest legislation optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage production enterprise optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
27 held skills the forester role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on tree issues skill
- not needed by the target role assist tree identification skill
- not needed by the target role carry out aerial tree rigging skill
- not needed by the target role climate change impact knowledge
- not needed by the target role climb trees skill
- not needed by the target role control tree diseases skill
- not needed by the target role drive agricultural machines skill
- not needed by the target role execute disease and pest control activities skill
- not needed by the target role execute fertilisation skill
- not needed by the target role forest ecology knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle geospatial technologies skill
- not needed by the target role inspect trees skill
- not needed by the target role maintain forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role minimize risks in tree operations skill
- not needed by the target role monitor grounds skill
- not needed by the target role monitor tree health skill
- not needed by the target role nurse trees skill
- not needed by the target role operate chainsaw skill
- not needed by the target role operate hand pruning equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform tree thinning skill
- not needed by the target role plant green plants skill
- not needed by the target role plant species knowledge
- not needed by the target role protect trees skill
- not needed by the target role safeguard biodiversity skill
- not needed by the target role spray pesticides skill
- not needed by the target role tree preservation and conservation knowledge
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn plant disease control required
- still to learn reforestation required
- still to learn sustainable forest management required
- still to learn agronomy required
- still to learn animal welfare legislation required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- still to learn environmental policy required
- still to learn pest control in plants required
- optional, not held animal hunting optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can an arboriculturist become a forester?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An arboriculturist already covers 20% of what a forester is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the forester role treats as required.
What skills does an arboriculturist need to become a forester?
15 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary. The single most important is organise tree plantations.
How hard is the move from arboriculturist to forester?
Its learning distance is 80.2 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.