where to learn?

[dynoguy]

Hi guys, I am new to this forum.... not particulary new to trees... In the past years I owned and operated a saw mill to provide wood for my pallet business... now I am back in the tree business.. primarily to establish a long term tree care operation... I live in Missouri where we now have billions of damaged trees due to two ice storms last year... I have the necessary equipment to start... a bucket truck, a 12inch chipper and a dump truck... and my partner and I have all the work we want within our limitations... I would like to know where to learn to be an arborist for certification and credibilty... just reading these posts tells me that as much as I know about taking down trees... I don't know anything about taking down trees... any info I can get that leads me to more knowledge is greatly appreciated... thanks.. John...aka.. DYNOGUY

It's only air and fuel.......

 

[StihlRockin']

The International Society Of Arboriculture, ie, ISA offers a few different accreditation options you can choose: from being an Arborist, tree worker/climber specialist to certified Master Arborist. They have their national organization with state chapters. You can even view a list of certified workers within your area and state.

dynoguy says: "...I don't know anything about taking down trees..."

That's going to be a tough hurdle to get over. It appears you have the carriage in front of the horse. LOL! Most people gain their experience first, then consider the option of going into business themselves after having several years under their belt.

There is a lot of written information on the net and books that explains some of the techniques and principles you will need to apply to be successful at removing trees. I worked 8 1/2 years for one fellow, then another year for another before I took the plunge to do it full time for myself. I already had some experience before I made the leap. One example of something that may help, is that for $4.99 Stihl has a DVD you can watch to explains some of the basics of saw care. I haven't seen it, but I will at some point. It's a start.

You can also look through the sponsors here and get some of their catalogs. In them you will find vasts amount of the information you seek as they offer books and DVD's for your studies.

Best of luck,

StihlRockin'