Forestry technician to tree surgeon
A forestry technician already meets 25% of what the tree surgeon role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.9/ 100
1 How much of what a tree surgeon is expected to do is already part of a forestry technician’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 tree surgeon role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tree surgeon role treats 3 of its required skills as things a forestry technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on tree issues
- de-limb trees
- perform tree thinning
What stands in the way is 8 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tree surgeon role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forestry technician background worth leading with.
- already held perform tree thinning handling and moving
- already held operate forestry equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held advise on tree issues communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain forestry equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held de-limb trees handling and moving
All 6 carried skills, including the 3 the tree surgeon role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 6 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 execute disease and pest control activities required
- still to learn protect trees required
- still to learn follow safety procedures when working at heights required
- optional, not held conserve forests optional
- still to learn climb trees required
- still to learn operate chainsaw required
- optional, not held assist tree identification optional
- optional, not held control tree diseases optional
- optional, not held monitor tree health optional
- optional, not held nurse trees optional
- optional, not held fell trees optional
- optional, not held identify trees to fell optional
- still to learn minimize risks in tree operations required
- optional, not held analyse tree population optional
- optional, not held estimate damage optional
- optional, not held inspect trees optional
- optional, not held measure trees optional
- still to learn tree preservation and conservation required
- still to learn carry out aerial tree rigging required
- optional, not held select tree felling methods optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tree surgeon role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out aerial tree rigging practise this
- 02 execute disease and pest control activities practise this
- 03 minimize risks in tree operations 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held advise on tree issues skill
- already held de-limb trees skill
- already held perform tree thinning skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
- already held maintain forestry equipment skill
- already held operate forestry equipment skill
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse tree population optional
- optional, not held assist tree identification optional
- optional, not held conserve forests optional
- optional, not held control tree diseases optional
- optional, not held estimate damage optional
- optional, not held monitor tree health optional
- optional, not held nurse trees optional
- optional, not held select tree felling methods optional
- optional, not held fell trees optional
- optional, not held identify trees to fell optional
- optional, not held inspect trees optional
- optional, not held measure trees optional
32 held skills the tree surgeon role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
- not needed by the target role advise on timber harvest skill
- not needed by the target role advise supervisors skill
- not needed by the target role apply forest legislation skill
- not needed by the target role apply prescribed herbicides skill
- not needed by the target role conduct reforestation surveys skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate timber sales skill
- not needed by the target role ecosystem management knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role habitat restoration knowledge
- not needed by the target role lead a team in forestry services skill
- not needed by the target role logging knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain forest roads skill
- not needed by the target role manage forest fires skill
- not needed by the target role monitor drivers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor equipment condition skill
- not needed by the target role monitor forest productivity skill
- not needed by the target role monitor logging operations skill
- not needed by the target role monitor work site skill
- not needed by the target role monitor workload skill
- not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
- not needed by the target role plant green plants skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid 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 supervise forestry workers skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable forest management knowledge
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role vegetation control skill
- not needed by the target role work in a forestry team skill
1 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 tree preservation and conservation required
Common questions about this move
Can a forestry technician become a tree surgeon?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A forestry technician already covers 25% of what a tree surgeon is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 3 of which the tree surgeon role treats as required.
What skills does a forestry technician need to become a tree surgeon?
8 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is carry out aerial tree rigging.
How hard is the move from forestry technician to tree surgeon?
Its learning distance is 68.9 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.