Time For a Change

[treevet]

Apparently NOT everyone could pass the ISA Cert Arb exam of years past....the one that included both tree ID, and successful completion of every domain on the test. So it got dumbed down to what it is today, and I reckon not everyone that writes it passes it even now.

Why did they do that?...revenue, lots and lots of it...recert fees, books, seminars, etc, etc. They may have maxed out and now are pushing and pushing the BCMA. That too will likely get dumbed down.

 

[lxt]

Pelorus, not wanting to banter with ya but your post seemed to come across as such, & I agree on the Cert / testing statement. I think the reason they dumbed it down was because the new generation doesnt possess the field skills that should be required for the cert. I work for the Utility now (hence me not being here much) I am in a totally different Dept but deal with the Vegetation Management group & boy what a bunch of non climbing, cant run a chainsaw, cant ID a tree types they are.............But their Certified Arborists, Utility specialists, gold leaf award pencil pushing, telling the real tree care (non certified but know more) guys what to do.

I get a kick outta these folks theyre running the show, get CEU`s thrown at em but couldnt tie a 1/2 hitch to save their lives, theyre trying to make tree care an occupation to make money off of by making the un-knowing public think that book smarts ala the CA are better to have than someone who has real world experience in the field but has no CA & thats because our culture has pushed college to a point that a BA means nothing without the experience to go along with it, prolly why our work force is mostly older here in PA...........but the point, people base a persons skills off their education & the lack of a paper in the tree care field must mean anyone can do it? But we can make good money doing something without a pigskin & the bean counter doesnt like that at all so lets make those tree guys spend some money on a required, lobbied Certification that now one doesnt even need to know how to ID trees!


LXT........

 

[Pelorus]

There are plenty of hopeless drivers that passed both a practical and written test.....somehow.
Does the existence of this horde of incompetents mean a driver's licence shouldn't be a mandatory requirement to operating a motor vehicle? No. It just means you should be mindful that you are sharing the road with idiots who could kill you at any minute.

 

[treevet]

very civilized arguement

 

[jefflovstrom]

very civilized arguement

Gotta take the 'man-suit' off now to reply,,,,
Jeff

 

[sgreanbeans]

It is very true, that there are many CA's that cant do anything in the field and as a CA, that pisses me off. I met a guy who never has run a saw, but he is a BCMA! When in SoCal, I met several BCMA's that could not climb out of a wet paper bag let alone do any advanced rigging. I really think that if you are a CA, you should be able to do all things Arboriculture. The full range, from doing a inventory to slammin a biggie in a tight spot. If you are a Arborist, you should be able to work aloft. They need to add prac app to the test, but it will never happen.

 

[treevet]

Conversely, if you are going to prune and treat and make decisions on culling maybe a CA is in order which to me is just a basic knowledge of arboriculture and requires recert. credits, the major positive aspect of the program which also aids keeping you abreast of current research.

 

[IcePick]

I know I'm no Reg, I just mentioned him because he has been an inspiration to me. I know Ive got a ways to go before I can even think about contract climbing, but I'm a fast learner and ropes are second nature to me. I'd like to get there someday. I've rigged out 100' tall cottonwoods over decks, blocked down 100'+ pines and firs into tight spaces. I've taken my time to make sure I'm doing it right. I'm not into heroics and I've been known to climb down, take a good look at what I'm doing from different angles, and change my game plan. I eat up anything I can read about tree work, specifically rigging. I bend the ears of crews I see working locally and I sit and watch for hours.

I know that it may boil down to simply making a choice. Maybe I can't have my cake and eat it too. But at this point it would sure be hard to walk away from my fledgling retirement plan and my benefits at my hospital job.

At this point I do lack investment capital. I have a 1/2 ton truck, a 7'x12' dump trailer, a grundle of climbing and rigging gear, and a small family of saws, a reasonable head on my shoulders, intuition for the physics and a love of the work.

Getting a chipper would require me to sell my truck and get a 1 ton box that I'd have no place to park. I just feel like making the next move as far as expanding my own outfit would require me to go all out. I feel like each upgrade required the next to justify.

Would you recommend looking for part-time work with a local crew? I applied with one local outfit but the were staffed with unsavory characters that I wasn't particularly interested in working with. I guess I should start making more phone calls to try and find a local company that I get get good vibes from.

Thanks for your input.

Yeah, sounds like you have a lot of ambition. I used to be like that, but my ambition wanes day to day and some days tree work makes me want to puke.

 

[treevet]

that is sad, and even if I ever felt that way, after over forty years, I wouldn't tell anybody that because I would know the feeling would go away soon as it always has in the past and I would die or worse be nothing without this profession.

 

[tree MDS]

that is sad, and even if I ever felt that way, after over forty years, I wouldn't tell anybody that because I would know the feeling would go away soon as it always has in the past and I would die or worse be nothing without this profession.

Its not the work that makes me wanna puke, its everything else that goes along with trying to be in this business.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Its not the work that makes me wanna puke, its everything else that goes along with trying to be in this business.

word, the weather, stupid HO's, insurance company's with the head up der butt...............kids crashin ****! If all I had to do was work on some tree's, life would be grand.

 

[bootboy]

word, the weather, stupid HO's, insurance company's with the head up der butt...............kids crashin ****! If all I had to do was work on some tree's, life would be grand.

Well, once I figure out how to make boss's wages with out having to do all rubbish that goes with it, I'll be sure to let everyone know. Just ropes and saws is all I wanna deal with