Forestry adviser to arboriculturist
A forestry adviser already meets 23% of what the arboriculturist role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.2/ 100
1 How much of what an arboriculturist is expected to do is already part of a forestry adviser’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 5 of its required skills as things a forestry adviser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- conserve forests
- estimate damage
- forest ecology
- inspect trees
- nurse trees
What stands in the way is 21 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. An arboriculturist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forestry adviser 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 nurse trees handling and moving
- already held forestry regulations agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
All 10 carried skills, including the 5 the arboriculturist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 11 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 control tree diseases required
- still to learn de-limb trees required
- still to learn monitor tree health required
- still to learn operate hand pruning equipment required
- still to learn perform tree thinning required
- still to learn plant green plants required
- still to learn spray pesticides required
- still to learn climb trees required
- still to learn operate chainsaw required
- still to learn execute disease and pest control activities required
- still to learn protect trees required
- still to learn safeguard biodiversity required
- still to learn monitor grounds required
- still to learn minimize risks in tree operations required
- still to learn execute fertilisation required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- optional, not held maintain forestry equipment optional
- still to learn tree preservation and conservation required
- still to learn advise on tree issues required
5 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 carry out aerial tree rigging 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 inspect trees skill
- already held nurse trees skill
- already held assist tree identification skill
- already held climate change impact knowledge
- already held forestry regulations knowledge
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held write technical reports related to trees skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn carry out aerial tree rigging required
- still to learn plant species required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
- still to learn handle geospatial technologies required
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- optional, not held maintain forestry equipment optional
- optional, not held make independent operating decisions optional
27 held skills the arboriculturist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on fertiliser and herbicide skill
- not needed by the target role advise on timber harvest skill
- not needed by the target role agroforestry knowledge
- not needed by the target role agronomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply forest legislation skill
- not needed by the target role assess harvesting impact on wildlife skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate new sites preparation skill
- not needed by the target role develop forestry strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop personal skills skill
- not needed by the target role ecosystems knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role habitat restoration knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact with clients in forestry skill
- not needed by the target role lead a team in forestry services skill
- not needed by the target role make decisions regarding forestry management skill
- not needed by the target role monitor forest health skill
- not needed by the target role monitor water quality skill
- not needed by the target role perform forest analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform forest diseases control skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role read maps 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 train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role wildlife knowledge
3 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 health and safety regulations required
Common questions about this move
Can a forestry adviser become an arboriculturist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A forestry adviser already covers 23% of what an arboriculturist is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 5 of which the arboriculturist role treats as required.
What skills does a forestry adviser need to become an arboriculturist?
21 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is monitor grounds.
How hard is the move from forestry adviser to arboriculturist?
Its learning distance is 79.2 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.