You’ve got trees in your yard who need some care, and you want to make sure they get the best care possible. You don’t know what to look for when hiring an arborist (someone who takes care of trees) so this article is here to help!

1. Education– What type of education does your arborist have? Do they understand the biology behind trees and their pests/diseases? Their degree should be in an appropriate field for this.

2. Experience How long has your arborist been practising in general, not just how long have they worked for you? If they’ve only worked here a couple of months, experience may be lacking in some areas.

3. Certification – Make sure to look into the certifications held by your candidate, particularly if important species of trees are at risk. Are you hiring someone who is certified in pesticide application (a common service) or do they also hold certification in chemical injection (needed when there aren’t any other options)? Ask if they hold any other certifications, like the ISA International Certification which is widely recognized by urban foresters.

4. Insurance – What insurance does your arborist carry? Are you covered under that policy in case anything were to happen? It’s important to make sure everyone is protected (you, your property, and most importantly, your trees).

5. Reputation – Ask around about whether or not people are satisfied with the work of your candidate. If they receive complaints regularly, it may be time to look elsewhere for an arborist. Otherwise, try using what you’ve learned so far to determine how suited they are for the job!

6.   References – Ask for references from previous jobs so you can call someone who has hired your candidate to find out what they’re like. It’s also a good idea to ask them what they think of your candidate as well so you know how reliable their opinion is!

7. Willingness to Plan – Make sure that your arborist will be willing and able to plan out a schedule with you for future tree maintenance, or if it would be better for them to stick around and monitor the trees’ health every few months/years instead of routinely treating everything.

   The main goals here are 1) To save money and 2) To make sure the specific needs of each tree are taken into consideration (rather than automatically doing things that may not be best for the trees).

8. Ability to Communicate Well – There are numerous reasons why this is important, one of them being that it’s very important to establish a good line of communication between you and your arborist so you both know what’s going on at all times! Another example could be during an emergency where there is a risk of damage or death to the trees in question, so knowledge about these trees needs to be shared.

9. Trustworthy – Are your candidate’s attitudes towards safety suitable? Do they take excessive risks which should not be taken under any circumstances? This may cause accidents that leave people injured or even dead (such as when using pesticides/chemicals), damage property, etc., so it is important to look into this before you choose whether or not they are trustworthy.
   
10. Price – Last but not least, the last thing you want is for your trees to be neglected because of the high cost! Take what you’ve learned here and make sure to find out about the prices which will be charged before hiring them, talking with them about any possible discounts, etc., so that money isn’t an issue between you two if it’s something which concerns you.
    

By now, hopefully, you know what to look for in an arborist! With all that said, now is the time to visit website for your candidate to prove themselves. Do they have all of the qualifications listed above? If so, then go ahead and hire them!