A tree care apprentice works below the climbers and bucket operators: dragging brush to the chipper, running the lowering rope, bucking wood once trained, and cleaning up the yard. Day by day they learn knots, rigging and saw work, which is how a ground worker earns the chance to climb.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
The Apprentice / Groundsman will play an essential role in supporting our arborists and ensuring the smooth operation and high-quality service delivery of our tree care services. This role is vital in maintaining the cleanliness and safety of our work sites, demonstrating a commitment to our company's mission of providing superior home services.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist arborists in tree care operations.
Manage and dispose of debris generated during operations.
Perform basic tasks as directed by the lead arborist.
Ensure the site is clean and safe at the end of each operation.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Participate in daily team briefings and planning sessions.
Assist in setting up and breaking down the job site.
Handle tree debris and other waste materials for disposal or recycling.
Maintain tools and equipment used in tree care operations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Safety Compliance: 100%
Site Cleanliness and Organization: >95%
Task Completion Rate: 100%
Team Feedback Score: >4.0 stars
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or equivalent.
Strong physical stamina and agility.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Ability to follow instructions and safety protocols.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the tree care or landscaping industry is a plus.
Familiarity with basic hand and power tools.
7. Physical Requirements
Able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
Comfortable working outdoors in various weather conditions.
Capable of standing, bending, and climbing for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am - 5 pm.
Weekend work may be required during peak seasons.
No travel or on-call duties are required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $15 - $20.
Health, Dental and Vision benefits.
401k plan.
Opportunities for skill development and career progression.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. We are committed to providing our team with opportunities for continuous learning and career advancement, ensuring that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to provide top-quality services to our customers.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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New hires in most trades start on the easy jobs. On a tree crew, the easy jobs happen under falling wood and next to a machine built to pull material in, so the ground rules start on day one.
Stay out of the drop zone
In a New Jersey case, a ground worker walked under an aerial lift while the crew leader cut the top of an 80-foot oak. A falling section struck his head and killed him. The leader didn't know he was there. State investigators told employers to hold a job briefing at the start of every job. Teach new hires to wait for the climber's all-clear before stepping under the work. Source: NJ FACE (NIOSH-funded): Groundsman killed by falling tree section during tree trimming work, 00NJ087.
Feeding the chipper is a trained skill
NIOSH's hazard alert on wood chippers lists the habits to teach. Feed from the side of the machine, where the emergency shut-off is in reach. Push brush in butt end first, and keep hands and feet out of the hopper. Wear close-fitting clothes and gloves without cuffs. Test the shut-off before each use, and keep a second worker close by whenever it runs. Source: NIOSH Hazard ID 8: Injury associated with working near or operating wood chippers.
Teen workers can't run saws, chippers or lifts
Federal child labor rules bar 16- and 17-year-olds from running or helping on chain saws and wood chippers (Hazardous Occupations Order 14). Order 7 bars them from riding on or working from manlifts, and the rule's definition names bucket trucks. Registered apprentices and student-learners get a narrow exception for saws and chippers, not for lifts. Workers 14 and 15 may not run any power-driven machine except office machines, or work from ladders. Check state rules too. Source: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division: Fact Sheet 43, child labor rules for nonfarm jobs.
The ground crew runs the ropes
O*NET lists sending tools up to climbers and lowering branches with ropes among a tree trimmer's main tasks. On most removals, that rope is in a ground worker's hands. A new hire learns to tie the knots, wrap the lowering device, and let a heavy limb down smoothly instead of stopping it with a jolt. Doing that well is what earns them a harness later. Source: O*NET OnLine: Tree trimmers and pruners (37-3013.00).
How much tree care apprentices make
The closest BLS group for tree care apprentices is tree trimmers and pruners. Tree trimmers and pruners who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $24.30 an hour ($50,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $50,960 median for tree trimmers and pruners in all industries. About 49,410 of the 55,160 tree trimmers and pruners in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
BLS doesn't publish a figure for ground workers alone. It counts them with tree trimmers and pruners, experienced climbers included, so expect a first-year rate to sit under that median. The template pays by the hour; raises can follow each skill a new hire passes, such as rigging or saw work.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$50,530$50,530 median Middle half $44,610–$62,940 10th–90th $37,940–$79,100
All industries
$50,960$50,960 median Middle half $44,840–$63,900 10th–90th $37,940–$80,310
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping and tree care companies
$37,940
$44,610
$50,530
$62,940
$79,100
All industries
$37,940
$44,840
$50,960
$63,900
$80,310
BLS doesn’t publish pay for tree care companies on their own. These figures cover landscaping services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Shows up on time and stays alert around running saws and the chipper
Listens for the climber's calls and waits for the all-clear
Can drag brush, roll log rounds and carry rigging across a customer's yard
Treats lawns, beds, fences and cars on site with care
Speaks up when something looks unsafe
Teach these on the job
Knots, rope handling and running a lowering device
Chipper start-up checks and safe feeding
Chain saw safety, chain sharpening and bucking wood into rounds
Raking, blowing and the final walk around the property
Loading logs and running a stump grinder
Ground workers use rakes, tarps, pole saws, ropes, lowering devices and the brush chipper, and later chain saws and the stump grinder. In the ad, name the safety gear you supply, such as helmets, eye and ear protection and saw chaps, and say whether you'll train them toward a CDL or climbing.
Tree care apprentice interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Drop zone discipline
A climber is cutting overhead, and you need to grab a rope in the drop zone. What do you do?
A strong answer: Waits outside the drop zone, calls up to the climber and goes in only after the climber answers that it's clear, then gets out fast while watching up.
Behavioral · Following safety rules
Tell me about a time at work, school, sports or volunteering when following a safety rule exactly took longer, and you followed it anyway.
A strong answer: Names the rule and the setting, what made it tempting to skip, what they did, and who could have been hurt if they hadn't.
Read these targets as goals for a ground worker who has finished the first weeks of training. Measure each one against the rest of their crew, and expect more as rope and saw work come into the job.
Safety Compliance
Days with full gear worn and the chipper and drop-zone rules followed, from the lead arborist's daily check, plus any incidents. Count a reported near miss as a good sign, not a strike.
Site Cleanliness and Organization
Jobs where the lawn, beds and driveway were left raked and blown, with no sawdust on the customer's car or walk. The lead does a last walk around and logs it on the job ticket.
Task Completion Rate
Assigned tasks, like chipping a brush pile, cutting rounds or loading the truck, finished in the time the lead set for that job. Track it on the job ticket or crew app.
Team Feedback Score
A short monthly rating from the climbers and the lead arborist on teamwork, attention on the ropes and willingness to learn. Ask the same questions each month so scores can be compared.
Career path
Apprentice / groundsmanWorks the ground: brush, chipper, ropes and cleanup.
What does an apprentice / groundsman do on a tree crew?
They handle everything below the cut. That means setting cones and marking the work area, dragging brush to the chipper, running the lowering rope for the climber, bucking wood into rounds once trained, and loading logs. When the tree is down, they rake, blow and check the yard. A sharp ground worker keeps the climber supplied and safe, and that sets the pace for the whole crew.
How much does a tree care apprentice make?
Tree trimmers and pruners who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $24.30 an hour ($50,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $44,610 and $62,940 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
How should the ad describe the lifting and outdoor work?
The template's "physical stamina and agility" line describes a person, not the job. In your ad, list the tasks instead: dragging brush, carrying rigging and gear up to 50 pounds, bending and climbing in and out of trucks, and working outdoors in heat and cold. EEOC guidance lets you ask whether applicants can do those tasks. Questions about health or disability wait until after a job offer, and then go to everyone hired into the job.
Does a tree care apprentice need a CDL?
Only to drive a truck heavy enough to need one. Federally, Class B is for one truck whose manufacturer weight rating hits 26,001 pounds or higher. A Class A covers a truck and trailer whose combined rating reaches 26,001 pounds and up, when the trailer's own rating is over 10,000 pounds. Check the weight ratings on your chip trucks, log trucks and bucket trucks, and any chipper you tow, before you decide what the ad asks for.
Can a tree company run a registered apprenticeship?
Yes. In 2018 the federal apprenticeship office at the Labor Department approved national guidelines from the Tree Care Industry Association for an arborist apprenticeship. Companies use them as a model and register their own program with that federal office or with their state's apprenticeship agency. The guidelines come with a schedule of on-the-job skills and a related classroom outline, which gives a ground worker a written path toward the climbing job.
