Arborist Resume Examples & Writing Guide
An arborist resume is read for climbing, credentials and safety. Show how you get into the tree (climbing system, bucket, crane), what you do up there (pruning to standard, rigging, removals), your ISA certification and risk qualification, your applicator license and CDL, and an accident-free record with a number attached.
Arborist resume example (climbing arborist and crew leader, 9 years)
This sample is for a climbing arborist who started on the ground, earned ISA certification and now leads a three-person crew doing residential and commercial work. The companies are invented. If you are starting as a groundworker, use the section further down.
Wesley Okafor
ISA Certified Arborist / Crew Leader
Asheville, NC · (828) 555-0146 · wesley.okafor@email.com · ISA Certified Arborist SO-0000A · TRAQ qualified · CDL Class B · Own climbing gear
Summary
Climbing arborist with 9 years in residential, commercial and storm work. Leads a 3-person crew averaging 6 to 9 jobs a week including technical removals over structures. Certified by the International Society of Arboriculture with Tree Risk Assessment Qualification and a North Carolina pesticide applicator license. Zero lost-time injuries across 9 years and roughly 4,000 climbs.
Experience
Crew Leader / Climbing Arborist · Blue Ridge Tree Care (residential and commercial, 4 crews)
Apr 2021 – Present
- Lead a 3-person crew on 6 to 9 jobs a week, averaging $3,400 in production per crew day across the last two seasons.
- Climb 4 days a week on stationary and moving rope systems, handling technical removals over houses, pools and power drops with rigging, speedlines and negative blocks.
- Prune to ANSI A300 standards: crown cleaning, thinning, raising and reduction on about 400 trees a year, mostly oak, maple, poplar and eastern hemlock.
- Run crane removals with a certified operator 2 to 3 times a month, planning pick weights, tag lines and drop zones before the crane arrives.
- Write and price 15 to 20 estimates a week and close about 55 percent, with written scopes that reference the pruning standard so there are no disputes.
- Run the daily tailboard safety briefing and job hazard assessment to ANSI Z133; the crew has 4 years with no recordable injuries and no property damage claims.
- Trained 5 groundworkers into climbing, 3 of whom passed the ISA Certified Arborist exam.
Climbing Arborist · Summit Canopy Services (municipal contracts and utility right-of-way)
Mar 2018 – Mar 2021
- Performed line clearance pruning under a utility contract, working qualified around energized conductors with minimum approach distances observed on every job.
- Climbed and pruned about 900 street and park trees a year on a municipal contract, working from written specifications and inspection sign-off.
- Responded to 6 storm events including 2 multi-day callouts, clearing 140-plus roads and driveways on 16-hour rotations.
- Installed 22 cable and brace systems on structurally weak unions, all to the current tree care standard, with follow-up inspections at 12 months.
- Operated a 60-foot bucket truck, a 12-inch chipper and a 50-horsepower stump grinder daily.
Groundworker to Climber · Hollow Creek Tree & Landscape
May 2017 – Feb 2018
- Started on the ground: rope handling, drag and chip, chipper feeding, brush hauling and site cleanup on 8 to 10 jobs a week.
- Learned knots, rigging and aerial rescue, and completed 40 supervised climbs before working a tree alone.
- Kept saw maintenance for the crew: sharpened 6 chainsaws daily and cut downtime from dull or badly tensioned chains.
Education
A.A.S. Forestry Technology
Pisgah Community College, 2017
High school diploma
Buncombe Ridge High School, 2015
Certifications
- ISA Certified Arborist, International Society of Arboriculture (current)
- ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)
- North Carolina pesticide applicator license, ornamental and turf category
- CDL Class B with air brakes
- First Aid, CPR and aerial rescue training (current)
- Electrical Hazards Awareness Program (EHAP)
- Aerial lift operator training
Skills
What a tree company owner checks first
Tree care is one of the more dangerous trades in the country, and insurance costs shape every hiring decision. The owner reading your resume is asking four questions before anything else.
- Can you climb, and on what system? Stationary rope, moving rope, spikes on removals only, footlock or rope walker. Say which and how many years. A climber is worth two ground workers on the schedule.
- Are you certified? ISA Certified Arborist is the credential that lets a company advertise certified work and win municipal and commercial contracts. It changes what you are worth.
- What is your safety record? Years without a recordable injury, tailboard briefings, aerial rescue training and knowledge of the arboricultural safety standard. Owners pay for claims out of their own margin.
- Can you drive and run equipment? A CDL for the chip truck, bucket truck operation, crane familiarity, chipper and stump grinder. Each one saves the owner a hire.
- Two more that decide raises: can you sell an estimate, and can you diagnose a tree? Climbers who can price work and explain a decline problem move into crew leader and sales arborist roles fast.
Arborist job description bullets you can adapt
Climbed 4 days a week on stationary and moving rope systems, handling technical removals over houses, pools and power drops with rigging, speedlines and negative blocks.
Pruned about 400 trees a year to ANSI A300 standards including crown cleaning, thinning, raising and reduction, working mostly oak, maple, poplar and hemlock.
Planned and rigged crane removals 2 to 3 times a month with a certified operator, calculating pick weights, setting tag lines and clearing drop zones before the crane arrived.
Performed line clearance pruning under a utility contract, working qualified around energized conductors and observing minimum approach distances on every job.
Diagnosed decline on 120 site visits a year, prescribed and applied soil injections and trunk treatments under a state applicator license, and performed root collar excavations with an air spade.
Completed 60 tree risk assessments a year using the qualification methodology and wrote reports for property managers, municipalities and two insurance claims.
Installed 22 cable and brace systems on structurally weak unions to the current tree care standard, with follow-up inspections at 12 months.
Responded to 6 storm events including 2 multi-day callouts, clearing 140-plus roads and driveways on 16-hour rotations with a 3-person crew.
Wrote and priced 15 to 20 estimates a week and closed about 55 percent, using written scopes that reference the pruning standard to avoid disputes.
Ran the daily tailboard briefing and job hazard assessment to the arboricultural safety standard; crew held 4 years with no recordable injuries or property damage claims.
Arborist resume summary examples
Climbing arborist with 9 years in residential, commercial and storm work. Leads a 3-person crew on 6 to 9 jobs a week including technical removals over structures. ISA Certified Arborist with tree risk qualification, state applicator license and CDL Class B. Zero lost-time injuries in 9 years.
Line clearance arborist with 6 years on utility right-of-way contracts. Qualified to work near energized conductors, running bucket and climbing work on distribution circuits. Cleared 180 miles of right-of-way last year and completed 5 storm restoration callouts. EHAP trained, CDL Class A.
Plant health care arborist with 7 years diagnosing and treating urban trees. Handles 120 site visits a year covering decline diagnosis, soil injections, trunk treatments and root collar excavation. ISA Certified Arborist and licensed applicator in two categories.
Consulting arborist with 10 years, writing 60 tree risk assessments a year for property managers, municipalities and insurance claims. Tree Risk Assessment Qualification held since 2021, ISA Certified Arborist, and experienced as an expert witness on 2 residential cases.
Tree care groundworker with 2 years on 8 to 10 jobs a week: rope handling, chipper feeding, drag and chip, and site cleanup. Completed 40 supervised climbs, holds first aid and aerial rescue training, and is booked for the ISA Certified Arborist exam in March.
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Weak bullets and the versions that earn a climbing seat
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Climbed trees and removed limbs. | Climbed 4 days a week on stationary and moving rope systems, handling technical removals over houses and power drops with rigging and speedlines. |
| Pruned trees for customers. | Pruned about 400 trees a year to ANSI A300 standards: crown cleaning, thinning, raising and reduction, mostly on mature oak and maple. |
| Worked safely on every job. | Ran the daily tailboard briefing and hazard assessment; crew held 4 years with no recordable injuries and no property damage claims. |
| Helped with crane removals. | Rigged crane removals 2 to 3 times a month, calculating pick weights, setting tag lines and clearing drop zones before the crane arrived. |
| Operated tree care equipment. | Operated a 60-foot bucket truck, a 12-inch chipper and a 50-horsepower stump grinder daily, with a CDL Class B for the chip truck. |
| Treated sick trees. | Diagnosed decline on 120 site visits a year and applied soil injections and trunk treatments under a state applicator license. |
| Assessed trees for hazards. | Completed 60 tree risk assessments a year using the qualification methodology and wrote reports for municipalities and 2 insurance claims. |
| Gave customers quotes. | Wrote 15 to 20 estimates a week at about a 55 percent close rate, with scopes referencing the pruning standard to prevent disputes. |
| Worked storm cleanup. | Worked 6 storm events including 2 multi-day callouts, clearing 140-plus roads and driveways on 16-hour rotations. |
| Trained newer workers. | Trained 5 groundworkers into climbing, 3 of whom went on to pass the ISA Certified Arborist exam. |
Arborist skills for your resume
- Access: stationary rope system, moving rope system, footlock and rope walker, spikes on removals, aerial lift, crane-assisted access, throwline and big shot.
- Rigging: blocks and pulleys, portawrap and lowering devices, speedlines, negative rigging, pick weight estimation, drop zone control, tag lines.
- Cutting: chainsaw handling in the tree and on the ground, felling notches and hinges, wedges, saw maintenance and chain sharpening, pole saw and hand saw work.
- Tree work standards: ANSI A300 pruning types, target pruning cuts, cabling and bracing, structural pruning of young trees, restoration after storm damage.
- Safety: the arboricultural operations safety standard, tailboard briefings and job hazard assessments, aerial rescue, electrical hazard awareness, minimum approach distances, drop zone and traffic control.
- Plant health care: tree and pest identification, decline diagnosis, soil testing and decompaction, air spade root collar excavation, injections and sprays, mulching and planting specification.
- Assessment and reporting: tree risk assessment methodology, written reports, inventory work, plan review and construction tree protection.
- Equipment: bucket truck, chip truck, chipper, stump grinder, mini skid, log loader, and the driving licenses that go with them.
- Customer side: estimating and pricing, scope writing, explaining a removal to a homeowner who does not want to hear it, permits and protected tree ordinances.
Certifications and licenses that change your pay
- ISA Certified Arborist: the core credential from the International Society of Arboriculture, with an exam and continuing education. Put the certification number on the resume, since clients and municipalities verify it.
- ISA Tree Worker Climber Specialist and Aerial Lift Specialist: hands-on credentials that prove climbing and lift competence, useful when your certification is newer than your experience.
- Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ): the standard for assessing and reporting on tree risk. Required or preferred for consulting, municipal and insurance work.
- ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and Certified Utility Specialist: higher and specialized levels worth listing if you hold them.
- Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) from the Tree Care Industry Association: aimed at safety leadership, valuable if you run crews.
- Electrical Hazards Awareness Program (EHAP): a tree industry training program covering electrical hazards, often required before utility work.
- State pesticide applicator license: required for plant health care treatments. Name your state and category, and note that requirements vary by state.
- CDL: Class B for most chip trucks and Class A if you tow larger equipment. Add air brakes and any endorsements.
- First aid, CPR and aerial rescue: expected on any climbing crew, and rescue training is specifically called out in the industry safety standard.
Groundworker and entry-level tree care resume
Almost every climber started on the ground dragging brush. Tree companies hire groundworkers constantly because the work is hard and turnover is high, so an honest, fit, punctual candidate gets hired quickly.
- 1Lead with physical work you have already done: landscaping, construction, farm work, moving, roofing, warehouse. Say how much you lifted and how long the days were.
- 2Say you are comfortable at height, or say honestly that you want to learn. Owners would rather train an honest beginner than replace someone who freezes 40 feet up.
- 3Get a first aid and CPR card before applying. It is cheap and it appears in nearly every posting.
- 4List any chainsaw, chipper, skid steer, forklift or truck experience, including firewood cutting or storm cleanup you did on your own property.
- 5Put your driver's license and your record on the page. Getting to the shop at 6:30 a.m. and driving the chip truck later are both real considerations.
- 6Mention any tree or plant knowledge: forestry coursework, landscaping identification, a horticulture class, or just naming the species you can identify.
- 7Say you want to climb and that you plan to sit the ISA Certified Arborist exam. That sentence turns a groundworker application into a career hire.
- 8Be honest about heat, cold and poison ivy. Owners have heard every version of quitting after two weeks, and directness reads as credible.
Landscape crew member, 2 seasons: worked 10-hour outdoor days across 12 to 15 properties a week, ran mowers, trimmers and a stump grinder, and loaded and hauled about 4 tons of debris weekly.
Framing laborer, 18 months: worked at height on scaffolding and roof edges daily, used fall protection on every setup, carried and stacked material continuously through 9-hour shifts with no injuries.
Format, length and what to mirror from the posting
- One page. Two only if you consult, write reports or manage multiple crews.
- Plain single-column layout, no photo. Larger tree care and utility contractors use applicant tracking software.
- Put your ISA certification number, TRAQ, applicator license and CDL in the contact line. They are the first filter and they are all verifiable.
- Order: contact, summary, experience, skills grouped by climbing, rigging, plant health and equipment, certifications, education last.
- Mirror the posting's words: 'climbing arborist', 'line clearance', 'ANSI A300', 'Z133', 'aerial rescue', 'plant health care', 'crane removal', 'right-of-way', 'ISA Certified Arborist'.
- In the UK and Ireland this trade is called tree surgery and the document is a CV, with NPTC or Lantra tickets instead of ISA. For US jobs, use 'arborist', keep the resume to one page and lead with ISA.
- Say whether you will travel for storm work. Storm response pays well and companies keep a list of who will go.
- Send a PDF named firstname-lastname-arborist.pdf.
“The first thing I look for is whether you climb and on what system, and the second is your certification number. After that I want a safety record with a number on it. A climber who can also write an estimate is the one I try hardest to keep.”
Frequently asked questions
What should be on an arborist resume?
Your climbing systems and years climbing, the work you do in the tree (pruning to standard, rigging, removals, crane work), your ISA certification with number, tree risk qualification, applicator license and CDL, equipment you operate, and a safety record with years attached.
How do I list ISA Certified Arborist on my resume?
Put it after your name or in the contact line with your certification number, then list it fully under certifications: 'ISA Certified Arborist, International Society of Arboriculture, current'. Clients and municipalities verify the number, so include it and keep your continuing education up to date.
What skills do arborists need on a resume?
Climbing systems and aerial rescue, rigging and lowering, chainsaw handling and saw maintenance, pruning to the ANSI A300 standard, cabling and bracing, tree and pest identification, plant health care treatments, risk assessment, and equipment: bucket truck, chipper, stump grinder.
Can I get a tree care job with no experience?
Yes, as a groundworker. Tree companies hire ground staff constantly. Lead with physical outdoor work, a driver's license, first aid and CPR, and any chainsaw or equipment experience. Say you want to climb and plan to sit the ISA exam, and be honest about the heat and the hours.
How do I describe tree work duties on a resume?
Give the volume and the standard. 'Pruned about 400 trees a year to ANSI A300 standards' and 'handled technical removals over houses using rigging and speedlines' tell an owner exactly what you can be sent to do, unlike 'trimmed and removed trees'.
Do arborists need a CDL?
Often yes for the chip truck, usually Class B, and Class A if you tow larger equipment. It is not required to climb, but it makes you far more useful on a small crew and many postings list it as preferred. Add air brakes and any endorsements you hold.
How long should an arborist resume be?
One page for climbing and crew roles. Use two pages if you are a consulting arborist with reports, expert witness work or municipal contracts, or if you manage several crews. Keep certifications high on the page rather than at the bottom.
Ready to write yours?
The builder suggests a summary from your own experience, then checks it against the job posting.
How this page was made: a first draft was written with AI assistance from cvplex's example library, then edited and fact-checked by the cvplex Careers Team. Examples are fictional composites; numbers are illustrative. Report an error via the editorial policy page.