An arborist or tree technician does the hands-on tree work: climbing or working from a bucket truck to prune, taking trees down in pieces, and treating trees for insects and disease. They also talk with homeowners on site, explain what a tree needs, and answer storm calls when a limb comes down on a roof.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
As an Arborist / Tree Technician, you play a crucial role in maintaining the health and aesthetics of our clients' trees and shrubs. Your expertise in tree care and safety protocols contributes significantly towards our commitment to delivering high-quality home services and achieving customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Regular inspection of trees and shrubs to identify diseases, pests, or other problems.
Trimming and pruning trees and shrubs using handsaws, pruning hooks, sheers, and clippers.
Tree removal when necessary, ensuring safety protocols are strictly adhered to.
Applying pesticides and fertilizers to trees and shrubs as required.
Providing detailed reports on tree care plans and progress.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Perform routine maintenance checks on all tree care equipment.
Engage with clients to understand their tree care needs and ensure they are met.
Stay up-to-date with the latest tree care best practices and safety protocols.
Provide recommendations and advice to clients on tree care.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to safety protocols
Job Completion Rate: >95%
Service Call Response Time: <60 minutes
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or equivalent.
Certified Arborist credential from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
At least 2 years of experience in tree care services.
Strong knowledge of tree species and care protocols.
Excellent physical health and stamina.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in a customer-facing role in the home services industry.
Proficiency in operating tree trimming and removal equipment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift heavy objects up to 50 pounds.
Ability to work in various weather conditions.
Comfortable with working at height.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Flexibility for on-call duties and weekend work is required.
Occasional travel to different job sites within the region.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate of $20 - $25, depending on experience.
Performance-based bonus structure.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [COMPANY NAME], we believe in fostering a culture of growth, learning, and teamwork. We take pride in delivering the highest quality home services, and we are committed to helping every team member succeed in their role. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we support their professional development and well-being.
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].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Climbing and cutting are only part of it. At a tree company this size, a tech also runs aerial lifts, works around live wires, applies treatments, and takes the call when a storm drops a tree on a house.
Bucket trucks come with OSHA rules
OSHA's aerial lift rule covers the bucket trucks tree crews use, and it shapes how a tech works from one. Only trained workers may run the lift. The worker in the basket wears a fall arrest or travel restraint system tied to the boom or basket, and never wears climbing spurs in the lift. Ground controls run only with the basket worker's okay, except in an emergency. Source: 29 CFR 1910.67: Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms (Cornell LII).
Live wires decide who does the work
Under OSHA's electrical rules, a worker who isn't qualified for electrical work must keep themselves and anything conductive they hold, like a pole saw or a limb, at least 10 feet from overhead lines of 50 kV or less, and farther from higher voltages. Clearing trees around lines for the utility falls under OSHA's power line rule and is work for trained line-clearance tree trimmers. When a homeowner's tree grows into the wires, call the utility first. Source: 29 CFR 1910.333: Electrical safety work practices, overhead lines (Cornell LII).
Spraying and injecting can take a license
The template has techs applying pesticides and fertilizers. By federal law, only a certified applicator, or someone under that person's direct supervision, may apply a restricted-use product. EPA notes that many state agencies require certification to use any pesticide commercially. The federal minimum age is 18 for certified applicators and for anyone using restricted-use products under their supervision. Before a tech injects or sprays a tree, ask your state pesticide office which license covers it. Source: U.S. EPA: Certification standards for pesticide applicators.
Storm calls set the clock
After wind and ice storms, the phones fill with trees on roofs, cars and driveways. The template's response-time target is about getting a trained person there fast. On call, the tech's first job is making the site safe and telling the customer what happens next. A big removal can wait for a planned crew and the right equipment.
How much arborists make
The closest BLS group for arborists 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.
Hourly with overtime in the template, plus a performance bonus. If you add a raise for ISA certification or a state pesticide license, write the steps down so climbers know what earns it.
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
Climbs with a rope system and makes clean pruning cuts
Rigs and lowers limbs without damaging roofs, fences or gardens
Runs a chain saw safely aloft and on the ground
Identifies local tree species and spots decay, insects and disease
Explains the work to a homeowner in plain words
Teach these on the job
Running your bucket truck or tracked loader
Your treatment products, and how to mix and record them
Aerial rescue drills, if they haven't done them
Writing tree care plans in your job software
Storm call rules: who goes, what they carry, what they may cut
Tree techs work with climbing ropes, harnesses, friction hitches, top-handle and rear-handle chain saws, pole saws and hand saws, plus bucket trucks, chippers and stump grinders. Larger removals may bring in a crane or a tracked loader. List the machines a new tech will run in their first month and which ones you'll train them on.
Arborist 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 · Planning a compromised removal
The tree you're removing has a large cavity at the base and leans toward the driveway. How do you plan the removal?
A strong answer: Checks how much sound wood is left for a hinge, won't fell it in one piece if the hinge can't be trusted, and plans to piece it down by climbing, lift or crane. Sets the drop zone and escape routes and holds a job briefing.
Behavioral · Stopping unsafe work
Tell me about a time you stopped a tree job because conditions weren't safe.
A strong answer: Names the hazard, such as wind, lightning, a power line or a rotten tie-in, stopped the work, told the crew and customer, and changed the method or came back another day.
After one storm season, reset these targets from your own job and call records.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ratings and reviews from homeowners on jobs the tech worked, pulled monthly. Read the comments for cleanup, lawn damage and how well the tech explained the work.
Safety Compliance
Spot checks by the lead arborist on helmets, chaps, tie-in points, daily lift tests and drop-zone control, plus any injury. Log near misses without blame so people keep reporting them.
Job Completion Rate
Out of the tree jobs handed to the tech, the share done on the booked day. Tag weather, utility holds and breakdowns so they don't count against the tech.
Service Call Response Time
Minutes from when dispatch assigns an urgent call to when the tech arrives, from your scheduling software's time stamps. Track storm days apart from normal weeks.
Can I require ISA certification for a tree technician?
Yes, and the template does. Expect certified applicants to have closer to three years in trees than two. ISA wants three years of full-time arboriculture experience before the Certified Arborist exam, or fewer years paired with a degree or an assessed training program. The credential lasts three years. To renew, holders retest or log 30 continuing education units before it runs out.
How much does an arborist 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.
Is there a certification just for tree climbers?
Yes. ISA's Certified Tree Climber exam asks for 18 months of climbing experience in tree work, plus current training in aerial rescue, CPR and first aid. It has a written test and a hands-on skills test. The credential lasts three years. To renew, a climber retests or earns 15 continuing education units, and shows current CPR, first aid and aerial rescue training.
Should I give tree climbers a skills test?
Yes, and let it replace the template's "excellent physical health and stamina" line, which describes a body rather than the work. A short climb in your yard shows how they check gear, set a tie-in point, move through the tree and make a cut. EEOC guidance says a test of real job tasks isn't a medical exam, and that you should ask every applicant for the role to show the same tasks. Keep the climb low, with a qualified climber on the ground.
How is an arborist different from a lead arborist at a tree company?
The arborist does the climbing, cutting and treatments on the jobs they're given. The lead arborist diagnoses the harder tree problems, decides how a job gets done, trains newer arborists and keeps the records. The template asks five years as an arborist for the lead job, so most leads come up from this one.
