A tree care inventory specialist keeps the yard stocked with what tree crews wear out: saw chains and bars, chipper knives, stump grinder teeth, rope and rigging hardware, and plant health care products. They count it, order it, record which truck carries what, and keep the chemical room stored by the rules.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
Our company is seeking a dedicated Inventory Specialist with a passion for the arborist/home services industry. The Inventory Specialist plays a crucial role in our operations by managing our gear usage, ordering and tracking supplies, and maintaining our storage facilities. This role directly contributes to our company's success by ensuring that our arborists have the right equipment and supplies to provide the highest quality service to our customers.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Managing and tracking gear usage across our teams of arborists.
Ordering necessary supplies and maintaining relationships with vendors.
Managing the organization and cleanliness of our storage facilities.
Coordinating with the Operations Manager to forecast future supply needs.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitoring inventory levels and placing orders as necessary.
Logging gear usage and maintenance records.
Performing regular audits of storage facilities.
Assisting in the receipt and distribution of supplies and gear.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Inventory turnover ratio: Aim for a 5:1 ratio.
Order accuracy rate: >98%
Inventory audit completion: 100% on time.
Cost savings on supply orders: Aim for a 5% reduction each quarter.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum of 2 years of experience in inventory management.
Basic understanding of arborist equipment and supplies.
Strong organizational and time management skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the arborist/tree care industry.
Experience using inventory management software.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move items up to 50 pounds.
Comfortable working in an indoor warehouse environment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
Occasional weekend work may be required during peak seasons.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $35,000 - $45,000 per year, depending on experience.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
401k with company match.
Paid time off and holidays.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At our company, we believe in fostering a culture of growth and opportunity. We are a team of passionate professionals who are committed to providing the highest level of service in the arborist industry. We believe in investing in our employees and providing opportunities for advancement. We are excited to add a dedicated Inventory Specialist to our growing team.
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
Tree crews wear out cutting parts fast and can't work without them. One missing chain size or a dull set of chipper knives can park a crew, so the specialist stocks to each machine the company runs.
Cutting parts wear out by the day
Saw chains, guide bars, sprockets, chipper knives and stump grinder teeth wear on every job, and dirt or grit in the wood speeds that up. The specialist matches stock to each machine's make and size, keeps a sharp spare set of knives for every chipper, and counts grinder teeth after each big stump day. Parts for an older chipper can take days to arrive, so those get a deeper shelf.
Rigging spares are stocked, not judged
Ropes, slings, blocks and carabiners hold climbers and the wood they lower. The equipment manager decides when a piece is worn out and keeps its inspection log. The specialist's part is the count: which truck carries which rope lengths and hardware, enough spares on the shelf that nobody keeps using pulled gear while a replacement is on order, and the maker and model written on every order.
Plant health care products are stored by the rules
Insecticide and fungicide injections, drenches and sprays are pesticides, and storage starts with the label. Wisconsin's rule, for example, requires storing pesticides as the label directs, secured against children, the public and animals, kept apart from food and feed, and protected so containers and labels aren't damaged. Containers are checked when they come out of the shipping box to make sure they're intact, sealed and the labels can be read. Source: Wisconsin Administrative Code ATCP 29.40: Storing and transporting pesticides.
Storm weeks need their own reserve
Winter removals and stump work wear down grinder teeth, and plant health care products have to arrive before the first spring treatment round. A windstorm is different: crews can go through chains, bars and lowering rope in days. The specialist keeps a set storm reserve that regular work doesn't touch, knows which dealers deliver after a storm, and refills the reserve before regular orders once the storm work ends.
How much tree care inventory specialists make
The closest BLS group for tree care inventory specialists is shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $25.00 an hour ($52,000 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $45,260 median for shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in all industries. About 160 of the 816,870 shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks in that survey work for landscaping and tree care companies.
The template's pay is a yearly salary, which doesn't settle whether the job is exempt from overtime: the Labor Department looks at duties too, and job titles don't decide it. Storm weeks bring long days in the yard, so settle this before hiring.
Landscaping and tree care companies
$52,000$52,000 median Middle half $46,720–$55,000 10th–90th $34,510–$56,230
All industries
$45,260$45,260 median Middle half $38,200–$51,570 10th–90th $34,650–$62,190
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
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
$34,510
$46,720
$52,000
$55,000
$56,230
All industries
$34,650
$38,200
$45,260
$51,570
$62,190
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
Knows saw, chipper and grinder parts by make, model and size
Updates records the same day a part, rope or product moves
Reads a pesticide label's storage section and follows it
Notices when a crew goes through parts faster than the others
Presses dealers on lead times for chipper and grinder parts
Teach these on the job
Your machines and the parts each one takes
How rigging gear is numbered and where its spares live
Your state's pesticide storage rules
Your inventory software and dealer portals
Which products each crew carries in each season
Counts and orders live in the stock list of your tree care software or a separate inventory app. Add dealer parts portals for saws, chippers and grinders, printed bin labels, and a lockable chemical room with its own shelf list.
Tree care inventory specialist 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 · Damaged rope
A climber returns a rope with a glazed, stiff section. What do you do?
A strong answer: Takes it out of service, tags it, logs it, tells the supervisor and issues a replacement.
Behavioral · Rush-period stocking
Tell me about a storm or busy season when crews burned through supplies and how you kept them stocked.
A strong answer: Planned ahead with extra stock, restocked trucks nightly and had backup suppliers ready.
Track these by machine and by product group, and keep storm months apart. Set targets after one season of your own counting and ordering.
Inventory turnover ratio
Yearly usage, at cost, over the typical value of stock on hand. Read it by group: chains and knives should turn often, rare chipper parts slowly.
Order accuracy rate
Orders received with the right part, size and count, divided by all orders. A wrong chain pitch or gauge is a common miss, so log each error with its cause.
Inventory audit completion
Scheduled counts done on time, including the chemical room and the rigging log. Note any count skipped for storm work and when it was made up.
Cost savings on supply orders
Compare this quarter's unit prices on the parts and products you buy most with the same quarter last year. Rush shipping and restocking fees you avoided count as savings too.
Who chooses the rope and harnesses, the inventory specialist or the climbers?
The climbers and the equipment manager pick the brands, diameters and lengths, since they trust their lives to them. The inventory specialist keeps that approved list, orders from it, and flags when a supplier offers a substitute. A new rope model goes on the shelf only after the equipment manager signs off.
How much does a tree care inventory specialist make?
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $25.00 an hour ($52,000 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,720 and $55,000 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
How do you count saw chains and chipper knives?
By size and by state. Each chain size gets four counts: new, sharpened and ready, out for sharpening, and worn out. Chipper knives are counted as sets for each machine. When the ready count for any size drops below what a crew uses in a busy week, reorder or send more out for sharpening.
Should the inventory specialist sharpen chains and knives?
Some yards add chain sharpening to the job, since the specialist already handles every chain coming and going. Chipper knives usually go to the shop or a sharpening service because of the grinding equipment they need. If you add sharpening, train the specialist on your grinder and include it in the ad.
Is a ground worker a good fit for the inventory job?
Often. Someone who has fed a chipper and run a saw knows the parts by sight and knows what a crew needs at the start of a day. The system is the new part: entering every move the same day, counting on a schedule, and comparing prices between dealers.
