Why It is Best to Hire a Certified Arborist
The tree care industry comes with many different degrees of
knowledge about trees ranging from respectable to laughable. At the top of the
tree care industry are the Certified Arborist. Some tree care services don’t
have an arborist nor are they associated with the International Society of
Arboriculture and the certifications it offers. Some of these tree care
professionals do a good job; however, the likelihood of receiving high quality
tree care increases when there is a Certified Arborist on staff.
To test to become a Certified Arborist you must have three
years in the tree care industry that can be verified as well as a Certified
Arborist who will be your sponsor and sign off for you. Some may lie about the three
years in the industry, but nevertheless they still must pass the test, which is
considered to be moderately difficult.
A few caveats. Some Certified Arborists are lacking knowledge
of even the basics such as proper pruning cut, while on the other hand some tree
care workers with have no certification really know their stuff and do a good
job, but aren’t willing to conform to the I.S.A. So while a Certified Arborist isn’t
a guarantee, it is a pretty good indicator that you’ll get someone who knows
their stuff and that makes it a good place to start.
Make sure the Certified Arborist you hire will be on site
when your work is being done. It may seem like common, but more times than not,
that is not the case. You want a Certified Arborist who is planning to do the
work, not just be the company sales person. A Certified Arborist is more
prepared to help you and should be dedicated to quality and ethical behavior.