Tree Trimmers and Pruners
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Overview
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
Titles for this career often contain these words
TreePrunerLaborerClimberWorkerTrimmerArboristBrushClearingDiagnosticianGrapeGroundGroundsmanGroundspersonPlantHealthCareTechnicianTanbarkTimberCutterDoctorExpertSpecialistSurgeonVine
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Responsibilities and activities

Grounds maintenance workers typically do the following:

  • Mow, edge, and fertilize lawns
  • Weed and mulch landscape beds
  • Trim hedges, shrubs, and small trees
  • Remove dead, damaged, or unwanted trees
  • Plant flowers, trees, and shrubs
  • Water lawns, landscapes, and gardens
  • Monitor and maintain plant health

Grounds maintenance workers are generally under the direction of a professional grounds manager and perform a variety of tasks to achieve a pleasant and functional outdoor environment. They also care for indoor gardens and plants in commercial and public facilities, such as malls, hotels, and botanical gardens.

The following are examples of types of grounds maintenance workers:

Landscaping workers plant trees, flowers, and shrubs to create new outdoor spaces or upgrade existing ones. They also trim, fertilize, mulch, and water plants. Some grade and install lawns or construct hardscapes such as walkways, patios, and decks. Others help install lighting or sprinkler systems. Landscaping workers are employed in a variety of residential and commercial settings, such as homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, shopping malls, and hotels and motels.

Groundskeeping workers, also called groundskeepers, maintain grounds. They care for plants and trees, rake and mulch leaves, and clear snow from walkways. They work on athletic fields, golf courses, cemeteries, university campuses, and parks, as well as in many of the same settings that landscaping workers work. They also see to the proper upkeep of sidewalks, parking lots, fountains, fences, planters, and benches, as well as groundskeeping equipment.

Groundskeeping workers who care for athletic fields keep natural and artificial turf in top condition, mark out boundaries, and paint turf with team logos and names before events. They mow, water, fertilize, and aerate the fields regularly. They must ensure that the underlying soil on fields with natural turf has the composition required to allow proper drainage and to support the grass used on the field. In sports venues, they vacuum and disinfect synthetic turf to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and they remove the turf and replace the cushioning pad periodically.

Groundskeepers in parks and recreation facilities care for lawns, trees, and shrubs; maintain playgrounds; clean buildings; and keep parking lots, picnic areas, and other public spaces free of litter. They also may erect and dismantle snow fences and maintain swimming pools. These workers inspect buildings and equipment, make needed repairs, and keep everything freshly painted.

Some groundskeepers specialize in caring for cemeteries and memorial gardens. They dig graves to specified depths, generally using a backhoe. They mow grass regularly, apply fertilizers and other chemicals, prune shrubs and trees, plant flowers, and remove debris from graves.

Greenskeepers maintain golf courses. Their work is similar to that of groundskeepers, but they also periodically relocate holes on putting greens and maintain benches and tee markers along the course and provide more intense turf maintenance. In addition, greenskeepers keep canopies, benches, and tee markers repaired and freshly painted.

Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators apply herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides on plants or the soil to prevent or control weeds, insects, and diseases. Those who work for chemical lawn or tree service firms are more specialized, inspecting lawns for problems and applying fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals to stimulate growth and prevent or control weeds, diseases, or insect infestations.

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.

Salary
Median salary: $41,340 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $33,390 and $52,520.
$41K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for tree trimmers and pruners
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
$27K$26K$26K$26K$26K$26K$21K$32K$25K$0$20K$40K$60K$80K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
Number employed
02K4K6K8K10K20-2425-2930-3435-3940-4445-4950-5455-5960-64
About Tree Trimmers and Pruners
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of tree trimmers and pruners who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
  • Hazardous Equipment (80%)
  • Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (66%)
  • Time Pressure (65%)
  • Responsible for Others' Health (62%)
  • Exposed to Contaminants (61%)
  • High Places (56%)
  • Consequence of Error (54%)
  • Hazardous Conditions (34%)
SOURCES:
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Tree Trimmers and Pruners? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Physical stamina
Grounds maintenance workers must be capable of doing physically strenuous labor for long hours, occasionally in extreme heat or cold.
Self-motivated
Because they often work with little supervision, grounds maintenance workers must be able to do their job independently.
Visualization
Grounds maintenance workers must have the
ability to imagine how plants, trees, shrubs, and other landscaping will look before planting or trimming.
Injury and Illness
About 290 tree trimmers and pruners become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 97% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
All cuts, lacerations, punctures
Fractures
Bruises and contusions
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by tree trimmers and pruners
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), tree trimmers and pruners typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as tree trimmers and pruners as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for tree trimmers and pruners

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.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for tree trimmers and pruners

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.

Although professional certification is not required, it can demonstrate competency and reliability for prospective clients and employers.

The National Association of Landscape Professionals offers seven certifications in landscaping and grounds maintenance for workers at various experience levels.

The Tree Care Industry Association offers certification for tree care safety professionals.

The International Society of Arboriculture offers six certifications for workers at various experience levels.

The Professional Grounds Management Society offers certification for workers at various experience levels.

Education level of Tree Trimmers and Pruners
Only 5% of tree trimmers and pruners have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by tree trimmers and pruners
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Tree Trimmers and Pruners per 1,000 workers (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most tree trimmers and pruners? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as tree trimmers and pruners. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where tree trimmers and pruners earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
  • In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for tree trimmers and pruners compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
  • Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for tree trimmers and pruners.
We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which tree trimmers and pruners earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (ACS)
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORUTWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICANVCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFLPR
Employment
22% of Tree trimmers and pruners are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 22% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 71% of careers.
22%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of tree trimmers and pruners by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
$25K$23K$32K$25K$33K$30K$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000Self-employed not incorporatedSelf-employed incorporatedState governmentLocal governmentPrivate for-profitAll
Gender
Tree trimmers and pruners and gender
With 3% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 91% of careers.
Gender of Tree trimmers and pruners
Men (97%)
Women (3%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
$20K$26K$0$100K$200K$300KWomenMen
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
3%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women by 19%, and the difference for tree trimmers and pruners tops that, with the median salary for men 31% higher than the median salary for women.
31%0%20%40%60%80%100%
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Tree trimmers and pruners
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Tree trimmers and pruners.
Race/origin of tree trimmers and pruners
White (72% )
Other (14% )
Black (7% )
Hispanic (2% )
Asian (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Multiracial (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
$20K$22K$24K$25K$26K$28K$0$20K$40K$60KMultiracialOtherBlackHispanicWhiteAmerican Indian
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.