Becoming an ISA Certified Arborist
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Information for prospective applicants
Objectives - Benefits - Exam Format - When - Where - How to apply - Cost - Study - Links - Expression of Interest
This page contains a brief overview of the ISA Certified Arborist Program.
Download the information pack.
Download plant lists - NSW | QLD-SE | SA | TAS | VIC | WA
Upcoming Certification Exam Dates
| Date | State | Location | Applications Close |
| 2011 | |||
| July | NSW | ISA Conference, Sydney | TBA |
Other exams as demand allows - Complete
expression of interest below |
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What is ISA Certification?
Certification is a voluntary program providing recognition of one's professional knowledge by one's peers. International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist recognition is given by the ISA to those who (1) meet the eligibility requirements for admission to the examination as set forth in this application, (2) successfully complete the examination, and (3) maintain the necessary number of continuing education units to recertify after three years.
The objectives of the Certification Program are:
- To be an educational program that will improve technical competency of personnel in the tree care industry.
- To create incentives for these individuals to continue their professional development.
- To provide the public and those in government with a means to identify those professionals who have demonstrated, through a professionally developed exam and education program, that they have a thorough knowledge of tree care practices.
The benefits of the Certification Program include the following:
- Certification builds an individual’s self-image. By studying for and passing the exam, individuals reaffirm to themselves and their peers a thorough knowledge and dedication to arboriculture.
- Certification affords the public and those in government the opportunity to make an informed selection of services based on the knowledge that is represented by the certification designation.
- The process of becoming certified and maintaining the designation provides incentives to the individual to continue his or her ongoing professional development.
- Certification is a tool to help employers both in training their personnel and selecting new employees.
Certified Arborist Exam Format
The examination consists of 200 multiple-choice questions including 10 tree identification samples. The questions are based on 12 domains and weighted as in the following table. To pass 70% overall and no less than 60% on each domain are required. If overall score is greater than 70% and not all domains are passed, the applicant can retake just the failed domains. If the overall score is less than 70%, the applicant must retake the entire exam.
I. Tree Nutrition and Fertilization 5.5%
II. Identification & Selection 9.5%
III. Installation and Establishment 9.0%
IV. Safe Work Practices 11.5%
V. Tree Biology 13.0%
VI. Pruning 12.0%
VII. Tree, Soil & Water Relations 6.5%
VIII. Diagnosis & Treatment 11.0%
IX. Trees, People & Ecology 3.0%
X. Cabling, Bracing & Lightning Protection 4.5%
XI. Construction Preservation 7.0%
XII. Tree Risk Assessment 7.5%
When are examinations held?
A certification exam will be held in conjunction with the ISAAC annual conference, additional certification exams will be ran whenever sufficient numbers of interested people are available in an area. Required numbers can be quiet low, 5-10 is a viable number. To register an interest in undertaking a certification exam e-mail the Chapter Liaison Officer with your contact details and the area you would prefer the exam.
Where are examinations held?
Certification exams can be run anywhere suitable facilities exist (i.e. a room suitable for holding a formal exam in), and sufficient numbers of interested people exist.
How to apply to take a certification exam in Australia.
- Find a suitable place and date from timetable above or complete an expression of interest below
- Once you have been informed of an exam date and location or a suitable one exists in the timetable above. Download the information pack from the link above .
- Complete the application form and forward to ISAAC Administration at least 28 days before the scheduled exam date.
Examination Eligibility Requirement
The ISA Certification Board requires a candidate to have a minimum of three years of experience in arboriculture. Acceptable experience includes the practical use of knowledge involved in pruning, fertilization, installation and establishment, diagnosis and treatment of tree problems, cabling and bracing, climbing, or other services that directly relate to arboriculture. The eligibility requirement also may be satisfied with a minimum of a National Certificate Level IV(Arb) and two years of practical experience or a degree in a related field and one year of practical experience.
Cost
Studying:
Do not assume this exam is a given. Many people do not pass on the first attempt. You will need study to successfully pass this exam. Plenty of study material is available. The Arborists’ Certification Study Guide is intended to serve as a recommended program of study. Each chapter in the study guide lists additional references that should be considered for review, such as Arboriculture: Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs and Vines (Harris, Clark, and Matheny); Tree Maintenance (Pirone); New Tree Biology (Shigo); the AS4373-1996 Pruning of Amenity Trees; Horticopia Arborist Edition; and Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers Edition II.
Note: The Arborists’ Certification Study Guide, published by ISA, should NOT be considered the sole source of information for the certification examination.
The ISA Certification Guide is available from the ISAAC Shop along with many other publications.
Useful Links
Please e-mail us if you know of other sites that may be of interest at ISAAC Certification.
Certification Information
UK-Ireland ISA Website - http://www.isa-uki.org/pages/cert.htm
ISA Main Website http://www.isa-arbor.com/certification/certification.asp
Study Material
http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/pubs/ufmanual/index.htm
How to Recognize Hazardous Defects in Trees
The Arboricultural Information Exchange
To submit an expression of interest in sitting the ISA Certified Arborist exam in Australia please complete this form.