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AgricultureCritical OccupationOccupation identified by industry partners as critical to business success.

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.

Annual openings

189

Median wage

$51,390

Typical education

Some employers value a High school (GED), but others do not.

Growth 2026–2032

+6%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

Some employers value a High school (GED), but others do not.

Credential requirement

Credential requirements not reported

Credential detail

Journeyworker Arborist and ISA Certified Arborist credentials are valued. A CDL Class B with Air Brake certification is not required, but is it is valued by employers, even providing additional opportunities, because of the use of equipment on the job.

Work experience

Previous work experience as a Tree Trimmer or through an apprenticeship is expected.

Work-based learning

Become an Arborist through an apprenticeship. Search here for those. Many connect to this program at Front Range Comm College.

Employer competency information

Feedback from employers identifies the following competencies

  • Love outdoors and physical work and okay with heights — Part of the joy of this job is being outdoors, and trees are often tall!
  • Being safety-minded and having attention to detail — Working off the ground safely requires focus and the use of safety practice in some precarious situations.
  • Customer Focused — You will be consistently responsible for customer relationships.
  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork
  • Math/Science/Physics — The science of plant healthcare and calculations/understanding of where a tree will fall are practical uses of this knowledge.
  • Mechanically minded — Machines are an integral part of the job, as is being able to drive, operate, and fix them.
More information about careers and certifications is available from TCIA and ISA both of which are valued by employers. A Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) is an example of a valued certification.
You can advance to Master Arborist, Registered Consulting Arborist, begin to sell services to customers, and/or start your own business, increasing your pay and responsibility.
Arborists are valued in many industries: municipal government (in urban forests/parks), the private sector (improving plant health), utilities (clearing trees from electrical lines), and natural resources (forest health and fire mitigation).

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Automation exposure

High exposure

Many tasks are repeatable, so technology could reshape the day-to-day over time.

A typical day

  1. Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines.
  2. 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.
  3. Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment.
  4. Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle.
  5. Climb trees, using climbing hooks and belts, or climb ladders to gain access to work areas.
  6. Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches.
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