Finding a contractor for any work at your home or property can be a daunting task. When you have work to be done you typically don’t have knowledge of the work in need of being done, hence the need for identifying a competent professional. So, how do you tackle this task? Luckily, many industries have individual certifications and/or business accreditations. These credentials help consumers determine the knowledge, competency and skills of service contractors. In arboriculture, there are numerous individual certifications to be aware of as well as overall business accreditations. In arboriculture, we are grateful to have two primary organizations helping administer and drive safety and professionalism within the industry and on to the consumer.
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is the primary organization that administers many of the individual credentials such as certified arborist, tree risk assessment qualification, board certified master arborist and many more work specific credentials. The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) administers the individual credential for certified tree care safety professional (CTSP) as well as the only business accreditation program. Below we will talk about the many individual credentials as well as the only business accreditation program in commercial arboriculture.
The individual credentials in arboriculture qualify arborists on their level of knowledge, competency and skills relative arboriculture. The ISA Certified Arborist credential is one of the most recognized of all individual credentials. An ISA Certified Arborist is knowledgeable in all aspects of arboriculture including tree identification, physiology, soil science, pruning practices and much more. In addition, this credential also adheres an ISA Certified Arborist to the Code of Ethics to qualify the credibility and professionalism of the credentialed arborist. A newer individual certification is the CTSP program administered by the TCIA. This is the only safety credentialling program in the industry. The program is designed to train and qualify professionals on coaching, training and modelling safe work behaviors in the industry and improving the safety of the work environment.
TCIA also administers the only business accreditation program for commercial arboriculture companies through the TCIA Accreditation Program, as well as the Utility Accreditation program for companies involved in utility right-of-way services. These accreditation programs qualify companies on business ethics, safe work practices, staff training, professionalism and exceptional client service practices. Accredited companies go through an audit process every three years to verify adherence and good standing with the requirements of the program. This accreditation has not only helped consumers better understand our skills and qualifications, but it has also helped us grow as a company improving our skills, safe work practices and overall professionalism.
We are grateful to have many of our staff part of many of the individual certifications listed above as well as being a TCIA Accredited company since 2008. We encourage and incentivize our staff to acquire these certifications. Our sales department team, all are required at a minimum to have the ISA Certified Arborist credential. This ensures our clients their competency and knowledge when it comes to recommendations for your trees. We are grateful to have two Tree Risk Assessment qualified arborists on our team as well as one Board Certified Master arborist and four CTSP’s.
These qualifications not only make our team more knowledgeable and competent in their career and professional development, but it also provides our clients and future clients the confidence of professional and qualified arboriculture services at their homes or properties. Be certain to utilize this information to help you make the best decision when it comes to the trees on your property. The ISA and TCIA have made it easy for consumers to identify qualified tree care services in their area by utilizing the below search tools for qualified arborists in your area.
ISA Certified Arborist search – https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist
Illinois Arborist Association Find an Arborist – https://illinoisarborist.org/services-we-provide/find-an-arborist/
TCIA Qualified Tree Care search – https://www.tcia.org/TCIA/MEMBERSHIP/Find_Quality_Tree_Care/TCIA/Directories/FindQualifiedTreeCare.aspx