I am new here, just asking questions about urban forestry and arboriculture

[Crazy88]

Hello! I have been browsing this site for a few days now and decided to become a member. I have some questions about the industry and I'll tell you a little about myself.

I am a Forestry student at Colorado State University and I really want to take a career path in municipal urban forestry. I currently work for the university grounds crew and will be working as a forestry maintenance tech for the city this summer. I graduate in Spring 2009. I also plan on getting a Class B CDL this spring and becoming ISA certified whenever I meet the requirements.

I want to work for a city working for their public works or forestry division as a tree trimmer or city forester once I have the experience. I have heard that the best way to get "in" with a city is to have previous tree trimming/climbing experience in the private sector. My dream job would be a tree trimmer or city forester for the city of Chicago. I have been researching Davey, Asplundh, and The Care of Trees in the suburban Chicago area to get some experience under my belt.


What are your thoughts on Davey, Asplundh, and The Care of Trees?
Whats the best way to get hired on by a suburb or city?
Can my 4 year degree be subsituted for some experience?


Thanks in advance!

 

[oldirty]

What are your thoughts on Davey, Asplundh, and The Care of Trees?
Whats the best way to get hired on by a suburb or city?
Can my 4 year degree be subsituted for some experience?


Thanks in advance!

better off finding a smaller company than these ones.

other than that you set your own ceiling regarding doing what you want to do.

your degree might impress some but for the most part it wont the guys you'll end up working with. but with that said, a degree is still something to be proud of.

good luck kid.

 

[clearance]

Welcome to the site. Good idea about working for a private outfit. That will set you far above the people I have had to deal with who have never worked a hard day in thier life, but think they know it all. Textbook heroes-workplace zeroes.

Whan you get to work for the city with your degree, people will respect you, because you will have done the work and know. You won't ask them to do stupid things, you will know what they are doing, and how long it should take. And you will be able to do what they can, everyone likes this, a supervisor who has been there.

 

[Dadatwins]

I want to work for a city working for their public works or forestry division as a tree trimmer or city forester once I have the experience. I have heard that the best way to get "in" with a city is to have previous tree trimming/climbing experience in the private sector. My dream job would be a tree trimmer or city forester for the city of Chicago.

Welcome to site, best way to get in a city job is find the door and open it. Most city workers will wait for somone to open the door for them. The degree is great to have but practical experience is what most tree workers will respect. Small companies are good to work for as long as they follow modern standards and safe work practices. The larger companies like asplundh and davey are just looking for bodies and will chew you up and spit you out as soon as they can. Can't speak for Care of trees, heard they were a bit better than the others. Keep asking questions and good luck.

 

[Justice]

I agree working for a private company is the best way to go. I would put in a application with whatever city right away, as they tend to hire when a position opens up.
Why a city, if I may ask? So you have any experience with working for a city?
Working for a city is very different that working for a private company, very political.
If you learn in a private company you will always "know" tree work, and be able to be hired anywhere. I think that a smaller company that is going to really teach you would be better than Davey, or Asplundh.

 

[Canyonbc]

Welcome.

I agree with the other whole hardly and go with a private company. I too am a college student, but in N. California. With my experiences of brush clearing and trees and talking with many many tree workers, arborist, company owners, and by own observations Aspndulph (i know the spelling is in correct, i am a bad speller let it be known) and Davey alike...goes through workers fast, they want a lot of turn over there to make a profit get in and get out.

My recommendation to you would to do something similar to what i have done. I went through the phone book and started calling companies. I found to smaller companies who's owners are middle aged hard working climbing certified arborist. They are the owner, a CA, and do the majority of the climbing. I have learned the most this way with a supplement of reading...Biology, Proper Prunning, and others..something similar i can imagine to what you are learning in school.

They have taught me to climb, and pass on a lot of there knowledge in different aspects of tree care...along with working with other groundsmen you learn the tricks to be fast and efficient.

This would be m recommendation to you...take what your learning in the class room and add to it with real life experience.

Best of luck with it.

Mike

 

[Crazy88]

thanks for the welcome and tips guys...

I didnt know all that about the larger tree service companies. Sounds like a local outfit is the way to go. Just gotta do some research and get a feel for the companies around the chicago area. I have alot of time to contact these companies since I still have a year left. I may also try to get on with the university tree crew during the semesters if they ever get an opening

Why a city? Ive worked for a school district and a university doing grounds maintenance and I will be working for a city this summer. I guess I am attracted to those gov't jobs . I like working for the gov because I like working for the community, as naive as that may sound. Another reason is job security, Benefits and in some cases a more laid back approach. I guess I just want to be part of of some type of municipality.

 

[treeseer]

TCOT. Their main trainer, Rex Bastian, is tops in the field.

 

[arbormonkey]

Crazy88,
(Kill Bill reference?)

Working for a smaller co. is a great way to get experience, but not too small. If it is a single climber/owner you might be only hired to be a permanent ground man. Larger co may be slow to accept new techniques, so ask a lot of questions. Good luck on getting your municipal job.

 

[eagleknight97]

Im also an Urban Forestry student, at the University of Illinois, and will soon be done here and I also want to work for a municipality. The main reason, for me, is that I suppose I almost like the political aspect of the job. The past 4 summers I worked for my Village's Public Works Department, as the "Seasonal Assistant Forester" (my own term, I believe I was just general labor technically but only worked with our arborist all 4 years, lol) and in those 4 summers I realized that I enjoyed dealing with policy and being in charge of the whole villages trees. Plus, it seems like a more laid back atmosphere. I plan on working at least a year or two with one of the local tree care companies probably, simply for the experience and then I plan on looking for city jobs in the suburbs. That is unless some city wants to hire me as an assistant to their forester, my city would be awesome, but having worked there, I dont see them adding another forester, haha.

As far as the tree care companies I know of....Asplundh, Bartlett, The Care of Trees, Davey, Kramer, and Autumn Tree Care...im leaning towards ATC and Bartlett.

Good luck with your search.

 

[masterarbor]

Welcome.

I agree with the other whole hardly and go with a private company. I too am a college student, but in N. California. With my experiences of brush clearing and trees and talking with many many tree workers, arborist, company owners, and by own observations Aspndulph (i know the spelling is in correct, i am a bad speller let it be known) and Davey alike...goes through workers fast, they want a lot of turn over there to make a profit get in and get out.

My recommendation to you would to do something similar to what i have done. I went through the phone book and started calling companies. I found to smaller companies who's owners are middle aged hard working climbing certified arborist. They are the owner, a CA, and do the majority of the climbing. I have learned the most this way with a supplement of reading...Biology, Proper Prunning, and others..something similar i can imagine to what you are learning in school.

They have taught me to climb, and pass on a lot of there knowledge in different aspects of tree care...along with working with other groundsmen you learn the tricks to be fast and efficient.

This would be m recommendation to you...take what your learning in the class room and add to it with real life experience.

Best of luck with it.

Mike

good advice-that way it is like a true apprenticeship.

 

[treemandan]

thanks for the welcome and tips guys...

I didnt know all that about the larger tree service companies. Sounds like a local outfit is the way to go. Just gotta do some research and get a feel for the companies around the chicago area. I have alot of time to contact these companies since I still have a year left. I may also try to get on with the university tree crew during the semesters if they ever get an opening

Why a city? Ive worked for a school district and a university doing grounds maintenance and I will be working for a city this summer. I guess I am attracted to those gov't jobs . I like working for the gov because I like working for the community, as naive as that may sound. Another reason is job security, Benefits and in some cases a more laid back approach. I guess I just want to be part of of some type of municipality.

From what you said I doubt you are going to be happy with a private company and chances are a private company is not going to care if you live or die only that the job gets done. If you go with a private company I say make sure they have respect for their employees firsthand. Of all the private companies around here not one seems up to par. All have histories.
You make sense, watch your backside.