If you want to join the upper elite of the aboriculture community where credentials are important for doing work for high end clients, serious bonafide consulting work, being an expert witness in a high end type lawsuits or getting a job in the public sector where crendentials are a factor in hiring, then it is a good goal to shoot for.
I would say for the average certified working arborist, this is going to be viewed as a cash cow for the ISA, with not much monetary return for the time, effort and money it would take to achieve this.
Even now being a certified aborist doesn't carry the distinction like it used to, not like it was in the beginning anyway. When Dan Nelson made the comment that employees working at Home Depot quailified them to be certifed arborists, I about threw up.
Granted, this issue of being a certified arborist needs to be redefined in some way, but forking over $ 700 bucks for another title that isn't really going to do me much good, just isn't going to happen. It is just too much expense and bother for what I'll get back out of it. I can read a heck of a lot books for that kind of money.
I just don't think this being board certified is going to fly with the ones who are already certified. There has got to be a different way to approach this IMO.
Just my two cents for what that is worth.
Larry