Arboriculturist to forestry adviser
An arboriculturist already meets 24% of what the forestry adviser role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
77.7/ 100
1 How much of what a forestry adviser 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 forestry adviser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forestry adviser role treats 5 of its required skills as things an arboriculturist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- conserve forests
- estimate damage
- forest ecology
- forestry regulations
- inspect trees
What stands in the way is 18 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forestry adviser 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 assist tree identification handling and moving
- already held climate change impact natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held forestry regulations agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
- already held nurse trees handling and moving
All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the forestry adviser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 7 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 perform forest diseases control required
- still to learn advise on fertiliser and herbicide required
- still to learn advise on timber harvest required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn assess harvesting impact on wildlife required
- still to learn monitor forest health required
- still to learn perform forest analysis required
- still to learn monitor water quality required
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- still to learn coordinate new sites preparation required
- still to learn make decisions regarding forestry management required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held develop forestry strategies optional
- optional, not held lead a team in forestry services optional
- still to learn habitat restoration required
- still to learn wildlife required
- still to learn ecosystems required
- still to learn reforestation required
- still to learn agronomy required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held sustainable forest management optional
- still to learn apply forest legislation required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forestry adviser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate new sites preparation practise this
- 02 perform forest diseases control practise this
- 03 advise on fertiliser and herbicide 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held conserve forests skill
- already held estimate damage skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
- already held forestry regulations knowledge
- already held inspect trees skill
- already held assist tree identification skill
- already held climate change impact knowledge
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held nurse trees skill
- already held write technical reports related to trees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn environmental legislation required
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held develop forestry strategies optional
- optional, not held develop personal skills optional
- optional, not held interact with clients in forestry optional
- optional, not held lead a team in forestry services optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held sustainable forest management optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
24 held skills the forestry adviser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on tree issues skill
- not needed by the target role carry out aerial tree rigging skill
- 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 de-limb trees 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 handle geospatial technologies skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- 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 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
8 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 habitat restoration required
- still to learn reforestation required
- still to learn wildlife required
- still to learn agronomy required
- still to learn ecosystems required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- optional, not held agroforestry optional
- optional, not held sustainable forest management optional
Common questions about this move
Can an arboriculturist become a forestry adviser?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An arboriculturist already covers 24% of what a forestry adviser is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the forestry adviser role treats as required.
What skills does an arboriculturist need to become a forestry adviser?
18 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is coordinate new sites preparation.
How hard is the move from arboriculturist to forestry adviser?
Its learning distance is 77.7 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.