Forest worker to arboriculturist
A forest worker already meets 37% of what the arboriculturist role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.1/ 100
1 How much of what an arboriculturist is expected to do is already part of a forest worker’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 arboriculturist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An arboriculturist role treats 10 of its required skills as things a forest worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- carry out aerial tree rigging
- climb trees
- control tree diseases
- de-limb trees
- execute disease and pest control activities
- nurse trees
What stands in the way is 16 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An arboriculturist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forest worker background worth leading with.
- already held carry out aerial tree rigging constructing
- already held control tree diseases handling and moving
- already held perform tree thinning handling and moving
- already held safeguard biodiversity assisting and caring
- already held assist tree identification handling and moving
- already held nurse trees handling and moving
All 12 carried skills, including the 10 the arboriculturist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 10 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 monitor grounds required
- still to learn estimate damage required
- still to learn minimize risks in tree operations required
- still to learn inspect trees required
- still to learn monitor tree health required
- still to learn operate hand pruning equipment required
- still to learn operate chainsaw required
- still to learn plant species required
- still to learn forest ecology required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- still to learn conserve forests required
- still to learn protect trees required
- still to learn tree preservation and conservation required
- optional, not held forestry regulations optional
- still to learn advise on tree issues required
- optional, not held write technical reports related to trees optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an arboriculturist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor grounds practise this
- 02 advise on tree issues practise this
- 03 conserve forests 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held carry out aerial tree rigging skill
- already held climb trees skill
- already held control tree diseases skill
- already held de-limb trees skill
- already held execute disease and pest control activities skill
- already held nurse trees skill
- already held perform tree thinning skill
- already held plant green plants skill
- already held safeguard biodiversity skill
- already held spray pesticides skill
- already held assist tree identification skill
- already held maintain forestry equipment skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn execute fertilisation required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- still to learn handle geospatial technologies required
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- optional, not held forestry regulations optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held write technical reports related to trees optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
24 held skills the arboriculturist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act with a high level of safety awareness skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to changes in forestry skill
- not needed by the target role agroforestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role animal hunting knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist forest survey crew skill
- not needed by the target role build fences skill
- not needed by the target role develop forestry strategies skill
- not needed by the target role habitat restoration knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle forest products skill
- not needed by the target role maintain camping facilities skill
- not needed by the target role maintain the trails skill
- not needed by the target role make decisions regarding forestry management skill
- not needed by the target role manage forest fires skill
- not needed by the target role operate forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role pay attention to safety while performing forestry operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform pest control skill
- not needed by the target role perform weed control operations skill
- not needed by the target role plant trees skill
- not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
- not needed by the target role put up signs skill
- not needed by the target role reforestation knowledge
- not needed by the target role report pollution incidents skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable forest management knowledge
- not needed by the target role work independently in forestry services skill
7 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 species required
- still to learn tree preservation and conservation required
- still to learn forest ecology required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- optional, not held forestry regulations optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
Common questions about this move
Can a forest worker become an arboriculturist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A forest worker already covers 37% of what an arboriculturist is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 10 of which the arboriculturist role treats as required.
What skills does a forest worker need to become an arboriculturist?
16 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is monitor grounds.
How hard is the move from forest worker to arboriculturist?
Its learning distance is 68.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.