Tree surgeon to arboriculturist
A tree surgeon already meets 61% of what the arboriculturist role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.1/ 100
1 How much of what an arboriculturist is expected to do is already part of a tree surgeon’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 17 of its required skills as things a tree surgeon already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on tree issues
- carry out aerial tree rigging
- climb trees
- conserve forests
- control tree diseases
- de-limb trees
What stands in the way is 9 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 19 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 tree surgeon background worth leading with.
- already held monitor tree health handling and moving
- already held protect trees assisting and caring
- already held carry out aerial tree rigging constructing
- already held control tree diseases handling and moving
- already held minimize risks in tree operations information skills
- already held perform tree thinning handling and moving
All 19 carried skills, including the 17 the arboriculturist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 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 operate hand pruning equipment required
- still to learn plant green plants required
- still to learn spray pesticides required
- still to learn plant species required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- still to learn execute fertilisation required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- still to learn safeguard biodiversity required
- still to learn monitor grounds required
- still to learn health and safety regulations required
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 execute fertilisation practise this
- 03 handle geospatial technologies 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 19 skills that carry over
- already held advise on tree issues skill
- already held carry out aerial tree rigging skill
- already held climb trees skill
- already held conserve forests skill
- already held control tree diseases skill
- already held de-limb trees skill
- already held estimate damage skill
- already held execute disease and pest control activities skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
- already held inspect trees skill
- already held minimize risks in tree operations skill
- already held monitor tree health skill
- already held nurse trees skill
- already held operate chainsaw skill
- already held perform tree thinning skill
- already held protect trees skill
- already held tree preservation and conservation knowledge
- already held assist tree identification skill
- already held maintain forestry equipment skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn handle geospatial technologies required
- optional, not held forestry regulations optional
- optional, not held write technical reports related to trees optional
- 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
7 held skills the arboriculturist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse tree population skill
- not needed by the target role fell trees skill
- not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- not needed by the target role identify trees to fell skill
- not needed by the target role measure trees skill
- not needed by the target role operate forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role select tree felling methods skill
5 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 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 tree surgeon become an arboriculturist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A tree surgeon already covers 61% of what an arboriculturist is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 17 of which the arboriculturist role treats as required.
What skills does a tree surgeon need to become an arboriculturist?
9 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is monitor grounds.
How hard is the move from tree surgeon to arboriculturist?
Its learning distance is 47.1 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.