Tree surgeon to forestry adviser
A tree surgeon already meets 17% of what the forestry adviser role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
83.3/ 100
1 How much of what a forestry adviser 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 forestry adviser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forestry adviser role treats 4 of its required skills as things a tree surgeon already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- conserve forests
- estimate damage
- forest ecology
- inspect trees
What stands in the way is 19 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 forestry adviser 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 conserve forests assisting and caring
- already held assist tree identification handling and moving
- already held nurse trees handling and moving
- already held inspect trees information skills
- already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held estimate damage information skills
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the forestry adviser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 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 write technical reports related to trees 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 forestry regulations 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 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
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held climate change impact 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 6 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 assist tree identification skill
- already held nurse trees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn environmental legislation required
12 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 geographic information systems 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 write technical reports related to trees optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
20 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 analyse tree population 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 execute disease and pest control activities 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 maintain forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role measure trees skill
- not needed by the target role minimize risks in tree operations 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 forestry equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform tree thinning skill
- not needed by the target role protect trees skill
- not needed by the target role select tree felling methods skill
- not needed by the target role tree preservation and conservation knowledge
11 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 forestry regulations required
- 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 geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held sustainable forest management optional
- optional, not held climate change impact optional
Common questions about this move
Can a tree surgeon become a forestry adviser?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A tree surgeon already covers 17% of what a forestry adviser is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the forestry adviser role treats as required.
What skills does a tree surgeon need to become a forestry adviser?
19 required skills are missing, plus 12 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 tree surgeon to forestry adviser?
Its learning distance is 83.3 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.