There’s a science to planting, maintaining, and keeping of trees. As our world continues to change and get smaller, there may come a time when you need to call on an arborist to help. If you own any type of property, odds are, you will have to deal with trees at one time or another. They are living, breathing creatures that can impact you in ways you may not realize.
Trees can be a great investment in improving your property value. They can impact, positively or negatively, your home or property’s value, depending on how well the trees are taken care of. Dead trees, branches that lean over a neighbor’s property, leaves dropping in the fall, et cetera, can not only decrease property values, but also lead to a liability.
If you have an issue regarding your trees, not just any ‘tree guru’ will do. Any company can advertise that they’re an arborist, but if they haven’t been accredited by the International Society of Arboriculture, then they are cheap hacks who don’t know what they’re doing. Only certified arborists know the real science between tree health and maintenance.
Getting an Accredited Arborist
The ISA doesn’t just hand out accreditations to anyone who wants to be an arborist. If you’ve received certification, then you’ve passed intense and comprehensive exams, agree to a set of rules or “Code of Ethics”, and continue to educate yourself in this field in order to maintain your certification. All in all, a certified arborist is much like an American school teacher when it comes to becoming certified.
To apply for accreditation, an arborist must have at least 3 years of full-time experience in Arboriculture. To become certified, they must pass the test with a score of 72% as well as 30 units of continuing education every 3 years to remain certified. The test itself covers a variety of subjects, including soil management, tree biology, tree placement, pruning, tree identification, urban forestry, and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
So, if you have need for a tree specialist, please make sure that the person who comes to your home is a certified arborist or risk having a hack job done to your beautiful landscape. Only a certified arborist can take care of you and your tree’s needs by taking care of them properly. But also make sure to do your homework, as even a certified arborist may run a bad practice.
