Tree Trimmer / Arborist

Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Arborist; Climber; Grounds Worker; Groundsman; Laborer; Plant Health Care Technician; Tree Climber; Tree Trimmer; Trimmer

Tasks

• Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines.
• Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools.
• Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers.
• Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment.
• Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle.
• Climb trees, using climbing hooks and belts, or climb ladders to gain access to work areas.
• Supervise others engaged in tree trimming work and train lower-level employees.
• Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches.
• Load debris and refuse onto trucks and haul it away for disposal.
• Inspect trees to determine if they have diseases or pest problems.
• Provide information to the public regarding trees, such as advice on tree care.
• Trim jagged stumps, using saws or pruning shears.
• Clear sites, streets, and grounds of woody and herbaceous materials, such as tree stumps and fallen trees and limbs.
• Collect debris and refuse from tree trimming and removal operations into piles, using shovels, rakes, or other tools.
• Cable, brace, tie, bolt, stake, and guy trees and branches to provide support.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Mechanical

Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Speaking

Abilities

• Control Precision
• Problem Sensitivity
• Manual Dexterity
• Multilimb Coordination
• Reaction Time
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Static Strength
• Extent Flexibility
• Oral Comprehension
• Trunk Strength
• Near Vision
• Selective Attention
• Dynamic Strength
• Deductive Reasoning
• Stamina
• Gross Body Equilibrium
• Far Vision
• Oral Expression
• Inductive Reasoning
• Visualization
• Finger Dexterity
• Depth Perception
• Information Ordering
• Flexibility of Closure
• Spatial Orientation
• Rate Control
• Gross Body Coordination
• Auditory Attention
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity