A lead arborist is the senior tree expert in the field. They work out what's wrong with a sick or risky tree, choose the treatment or the removal plan, run the hardest jobs, and train the arborists under them so more of the crew can do the work right.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, landscaping and tree care companies · BLS, May 2025
Arborist / Tree Care - Lead Arborist / Tree Specialist
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Operations Manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
As a Lead Arborist / Tree Specialist, you will play an integral role in diagnosing and resolving advanced tree problems, performing tree care tasks and mentoring junior arborists. Your expertise will directly contribute to our mission of providing top-notch home services, ensuring customer satisfaction and maintaining the health and aesthetics of our clients' landscapes.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Perform advanced diagnosis and resolution of tree issues.
Execute comprehensive tree care tasks including pruning, removal, and planting.
Mentor and provide guidance to junior arborists.
Collaborate with the operations team to ensure customer satisfaction.
Maintain accurate records of performed work.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Diagnosing and treating tree diseases and pests.
Performing tree pruning, removals, and planting.
Mentoring junior arborists and providing on-the-job training.
Interacting with clients, answering their queries, and ensuring their satisfaction.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Number of Junior Arborists Mentored: >3 per quarter
Tree Health Improvement: 80% of treated trees show signs of improvement
Efficiency in Task Completion: >90%
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Certification from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
Minimum of 5 years of experience as an Arborist.
Strong knowledge of tree biology, diseases, and treatments.
Excellent mentoring and leadership skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Horticulture or related field.
Experience in a leadership role within the tree care or home services industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift heavy equipment up to 50 pounds.
Comfortable working at heights and in various weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional weekend work may be required.
Travel to various client locations is expected.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $50,000 - $65,000 annually, based on experience.
Performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, and 401k.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering a culture of growth, learning, and teamwork. Our team members are our most valuable asset, and we are committed to helping them develop, excel, and reach their full potential. We take pride in our strong focus on customer satisfaction and our commitment to providing top-quality home services.
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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A lead arborist is part climber, part tree doctor and part coach. At a tree company, they decide how each tree gets treated or taken down, and they make sure the next arborist can do it too.
The industry safety standard has a 2026 edition
ANSI Z133 is the tree care industry's own safety standard, and it's voluntary, not a law. ISA says ANSI has approved a 2026 edition, and the 2017 edition stayed in effect until May 27, 2026. Have your lead read the new edition and bring job briefings, gear checks and training in line with it. ISA offers a free digital copy for individual use. Source: ISA: ANSI Z133-2026, safety requirements for arboricultural operations.
OSHA still has no rule written for tree care
OSHA has no standard written for tree care; it has been working on one since an advance notice in 2008. Its regulatory agenda lists a proposed rule as the next step, and none had been published as of October 2026. Until a rule is final, OSHA says tree companies must follow its general industry standards, such as the aerial lift rule, and it applies a patchwork of them to tree work. Source: Reginfo.gov: OSHA Tree Care Standard, RIN 1218-AD04 (regulatory agenda).
Ash trees call for a judgment
USDA has found emerald ash borer in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Its federal quarantine on moving ash ended in January 2021, and USDA now points owners to local extension agents for treatment advice. The lead decides which ash trees are worth treating and which should come down, explains the choice to the customer, and steers customers toward local firewood. Source: USDA APHIS: Emerald ash borer.
Coaching is part of the job
The template counts how many junior arborists the lead mentors. TCIA's Certified Treecare Safety Professional credential is built for this kind of safety leader. One path in asks for three years of tree work with at least one year of safety duties, such as crew leader or trainer. Holders renew every three years with 30 continuing education units. Source: TCIA: Certified Treecare Safety Professional.
How much lead arborists make
The closest BLS group for lead 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.
The template pays a salary plus performance bonuses. Paying a salary doesn't by itself make the job exempt from overtime. Whether a lead who climbs and cuts most days qualifies depends on the federal duties tests and your state's law.
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
Diagnoses the common tree insects, diseases and structural defects in your region
Plans hard removals: rigging points, lowering lines, and where the bucket or crane sets up
Teaches by showing, then watching, then letting the arborist try
Writes clear notes on what was found, what was done and what's next
Holds ISA certification, as the template asks
Teach these on the job
Your estimate and work-order software
Your treatment products, records and state license rules
Your job briefing and incident reporting routines
How you price add-on work like cabling or plant health care
Planning crew schedules with the operations manager
Leads carry a soil probe, hand lens, binoculars and a mallet for sounding trunks, along with the full climbing and rigging kit. They often keep crew notes and treatment records in a work-order app or tree care software. In the ad, say whether the lead climbs most days or mainly runs jobs from the ground.
Lead 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 · Rigging over structures
You need to remove a large limb over a roof. Walk me through your rigging plan.
A strong answer: Estimates piece weight, chooses a sound rigging point above, uses a block and friction device with a controlled lowering line, avoids shock loads, sets the drop zone and agrees on commands with the ground crew.
Behavioral · Mentoring climbers
Tell me about a junior climber you mentored and how you built their skills safely.
A strong answer: Started with ground skills and low climbs, checked knots, tie-ins and two points of attachment before any saw work aloft, and gave feedback after each job.
When you set your own targets after a season, keep tree health results apart from crew coaching.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ratings and comments from customers on jobs the lead ran or diagnosed, pulled each quarter. Look closely at plant health care customers, who judge the work over months.
Number of Junior Arborists Mentored
Arborists the lead trained who passed a skill check that quarter, such as a new climbing system, a rigging setup or a pesticide exam. Count finished checks, not hours spent.
Tree Health Improvement
Treated trees rechecked at the next visit and rated better, the same or worse, with photos in the customer record. Note drought or storm damage beside the rating.
Efficiency in Task Completion
Hours spent on each job the lead planned, compared with hours estimated. Review the misses together to sharpen future estimates.
The template lists a forestry or horticulture degree as preferred, not required. A degree does shorten ISA's path to Certified Arborist. A four-year degree with at least four arboriculture courses, plus one year of full-time tree work, meets the exam's experience rule. Look for a mix of schooling and climbing time, and ask candidates which tree problems they've diagnosed and how they knew.
How much does a lead 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.
What is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist?
It's ISA's highest credential. Candidates must already be ISA Certified Arborists in good standing, with enough experience, schooling or other credentials to qualify, and they pass a scenario-based exam. ISA says fewer than one in fifty Certified Arborists hold it. It's a strong sign for a lead who will handle your hardest diagnoses, but don't make it a must-have.
Do states have their own tree work safety rules?
Some do. States that run their own OSHA-approved job safety programs can write their own rules. California's General Industry Safety Orders have a full article on tree work, covering tree and ornamental palm maintenance, removal and the equipment used. Line clearance near high-voltage lines there falls under the state's high-voltage electrical rules. If you work in a state-plan state, ask that office which rules apply before your lead builds the training plan.
How do I judge a lead arborist candidate?
Walk a property with them. Ask what they see in three or four trees, what they'd recommend, and how they'd take one down if it had to go. Then ask how they'd teach that removal to a newer arborist. Strong leads spot decay and weak unions, explain their thinking plainly, and talk through the crew's safety before the first cut.
