Tree trimmers and pruners: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Tree trimmers and pruners, also called arborists, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to clear utility lines, roads, and sidewalks. Many of these workers strive to improve the appearance and health of trees and plants, and some specialize in diagnosing and treating tree diseases. Others specialize in pruning, trimming, and shaping ornamental trees and shrubs. Tree trimmers and pruners use chain saws, chippers, and stump grinders while on the job. When trimming near power lines, they usually work on truck-mounted lifts and use power pruners.
- Education Required
- Although most grounds maintenance jobs have no education requirements, some employers may require formal education or certification in areas such as landscape design, horticulture, or arboriculture.
- Training Required
- A short period of on-the-job training is usually enough to teach new hires the skills they need, which often include how to plant and maintain areas and how to use mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers, small tractors, and other equipment. Large institutional employers such as golf courses, university campuses, or municipalities may supplement on-the-job training with coursework in horticulture, arboriculture, urban forestry, insect and disease diagnosis, tree climbing, or small-engine repair.
- Job Outlook
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The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 10% (Faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Advancement
- Grounds maintenance workers who have good communication skills may become crew leaders or advance into other supervisory positions. Becoming a manager or a landscape contractor may require some formal education and several years of related work experience. Some workers use their experience to start their own landscaping companies.
- Licenses/Certifications
- Most states require workers who apply pesticides and fertilizers to be licensed. Obtaining a license usually involves passing a test on the proper use and disposal of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
- Median pay: How much do Grounds Maintenance Workers make?
- $26,830 Annual Salary
- $12.90 per hour
Careers for Grounds Maintenance Workers
- Arborists
- Certified pesticide applicators
- Fruit sprayers
- Golf course laborers
- Greenskeeper laborers
- Greenskeepers
- Grounds caretakers
- Groundskeepers
- Groundskeeping workers
- Hedge trimmers
- Herbicide sprayers
- Landscape contractors
- Landscapers
- Landscaping workers
- Lawn care workers
- Lawn caretakers
- Lawn maintenance workers
- Lawn mowers
- Lawn service workers
- Orchard sprayers
- Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators
- Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation
- Plant sprayers
- Pruners
- Shrub planters
- Sod layers
- Trail construction workers
- Trail maintenance workers
- Trailhead construction workers
- Trailhead maintenance workers
- Tree pruners
- Tree specialists
- Tree surgeons
- Tree trimmer helpers
- Tree trimmers
- Weed sprayers