Tree surgeon to forestry equipment operator
A tree surgeon already meets 20% of what the forestry equipment operator role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
83.5/ 100
1 How much of what a forestry equipment operator 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 equipment operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A forestry equipment operator role treats 5 of its required skills as things a tree surgeon already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- de-limb trees
- fell trees
- identify trees to fell
- minimize risks in tree operations
- select tree felling methods
What stands in the way is 15 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forestry equipment operator 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 fell trees handling and moving
- already held identify trees to fell handling and moving
- already held select tree felling methods management skills
- already held minimize risks in tree operations information skills
- already held maintain forestry equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the forestry equipment operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 39 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 load timber onto a skidder required
- still to learn maintain the security of machinery required
- still to learn minimise environmental impact on the surrounding area required
- still to learn drive timber machine required
- still to learn operate forestry machinery required
- still to learn process timber using hand-fed machinery required
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- still to learn extract coppice required
- still to learn process arisings from treework operations required
- still to learn manage logs segregation and stacking required
- still to learn spray pesticides required
- optional, not held limit load to prevent damage optional
- optional, not held use hand tools for forestry work optional
- optional, not held attach protective attachments to timber piles optional
- optional, not held harvest timber optional
- optional, not held improve timber stands optional
- optional, not held maintain edged hand tools optional
- optional, not held sharpen edged tools optional
- still to learn assess felled timber quality required
- still to learn assess felled timber volume required
- optional, not held forecast timber production optional
- optional, not held inspect timber optional
- optional, not held maintain forest inventory optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held report to the team leader optional
- still to learn reforestation required
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
- still to learn prepare emergency treework operations required
- optional, not held work independently in forestry services optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- still to learn carry out routine maintenance of wood cutting machinery required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a forestry equipment operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 extract coppice practise this
- 02 load timber onto a skidder practise this
- 03 maintain the security of machinery 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held de-limb trees skill
- already held fell trees skill
- already held identify trees to fell skill
- already held minimize risks in tree operations skill
- already held select tree felling methods skill
- already held forest ecology knowledge
- already held maintain forestry equipment skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held comply with timber trade code of conduct optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held advise on timber harvest optional
- optional, not held advise on timber-based products optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held use ICT systems optional
- optional, not held timber products optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held limit load to prevent damage optional
- optional, not held use hand tools for forestry work optional
- optional, not held advise on timber harvest optional
- optional, not held advise on timber-based products optional
- optional, not held attach protective attachments to timber piles optional
- optional, not held comply with timber trade code of conduct optional
- optional, not held drive agricultural machines optional
- optional, not held forecast timber production optional
- optional, not held harvest timber optional
- optional, not held improve timber stands optional
- optional, not held inspect timber optional
- optional, not held maintain edged hand tools optional
- optional, not held maintain forest inventory optional
- optional, not held report pollution incidents optional
- optional, not held report to the team leader optional
- optional, not held sharpen edged tools optional
- optional, not held timber products optional
- optional, not held work independently in forestry services optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held use ICT systems optional
19 held skills the forestry equipment operator 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 assist tree identification 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 conserve forests skill
- not needed by the target role control tree diseases skill
- not needed by the target role estimate damage skill
- not needed by the target role execute disease and pest control activities skill
- not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- not needed by the target role inspect trees skill
- not needed by the target role measure trees skill
- not needed by the target role monitor tree health skill
- not needed by the target role nurse trees 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 tree preservation and conservation knowledge
4 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 reforestation required
- optional, not held timber products optional
- optional, not held agronomy optional
- optional, not held forest conservation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a tree surgeon become a forestry equipment operator?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A tree surgeon already covers 20% of what a forestry equipment operator is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the forestry equipment operator role treats as required.
What skills does a tree surgeon need to become a forestry equipment operator?
15 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is extract coppice.
How hard is the move from tree surgeon to forestry equipment operator?
Its learning distance is 83.5 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.