Climb, prune and remove trees, often with a chainsaw at height. Well paid near power lines, and one of the more dangerous trades.
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What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Climbing arborist
$62,000
Groundworker
$44,000
Utility arborist or crew lead
$85,000
Job Bank puts most arborists between $21 and $41 an hour. Utility line clearing (keeping trees off power lines for Hydro One, BC Hydro and others) pays the most and is often unionized. City forestry crews add pensions. Small residential tree companies pay the least.
$19 to $23 an hour
Groundworker dragging brush and feeding the chipper
Everyone starts on the ground. Climbing comes after months of rope and chainsaw training, and the raise comes with it.
$34 to $41 an hour
Certified climber or utility arborist
Utility arborists working near energized lines earn the top rates, with overtime after storms. Crane and rigging specialists on big removals also charge premium rates.
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
The low end is a registered apprenticeship where the employer covers the school blocks, so what you pay for is climbing gear, a saddle, ropes, helmet and boots, and the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist exam. The high end is a one or two year college arboriculture program paid up front plus the blocks, better gear, and the exam and renewal fees. Gear wears out and ropes have a hard life limit, so there is a real ongoing cost after you qualify. The federal Apprenticeship Incentive Grant closed in March 2025, so that money is gone, although the Canada Apprentice Loan is still there.
Gear wears out and ropes have a life limit, so expect ongoing costs. The federal Apprenticeship Incentive Grant closed in March 2025.
Utilities and cities
Pension, benefits, union.
Storm overtime
Ice storms and windstorms mean weeks of overtime.
Outdoors and fit
Climbing keeps you in shape.
Gear supplied
Most employers supply saws, chippers and safety gear.
Travel
Storm crews get sent across the country.
The exact path from high school to qualified.
Ground crew first, then climbing, then certification. Ontario and BC run apprenticeships.
High school diploma
Grade 12
Grade 12 with biology, math and physical education. Fitness matters more than marks here.
Start as a groundworker
Months
Tree care companies hire in spring. You drag brush, run the chipper and learn knots. Chainsaw safety and first aid courses come first.
Register an apprenticeship
2 to 3 years
Ontario's Arborist trade (code 444A) needs 6,120 hours: 5,400 on the job plus 720 in school, about 3 years. BC has Arborist Technician, Climbing Arborist and Utility Arborist programs through SkilledTradesBC.
ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist
After 3 years
The credential the industry recognizes. Needs about 3 years of experience, or a related degree plus experience, then an exam. Many employers require it for lead roles.
Specialize
Ongoing
Utility arborist (line clearing), crane and rigging, or a college diploma in urban forestry to move into municipal planning and consulting.
Biology
Tree health, pests and soil.
Physical education
Climbing is an athletic job.
Physics
Rigging is loads, angles and forces.
Math
Estimating weights and quoting jobs.
Shop
Saw maintenance and small engines.
No province requires a licence to cut trees. Arborist is a provincial trade in Ontario and BC, but it is not a Red Seal trade, so certificates do not automatically transfer between provinces. The ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist credential is recognized across Canada and internationally and is what most employers and cities ask for. Working near power lines requires utility arborist training and certification.
Things you don't need, but that help.
Utility arborist
Line-clearing certification. Highest pay, steadiest work, most danger.
ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Tree Climber
A written exam plus a practical climbing test, with first aid and aerial rescue training required first.
Crane and rigging
Big removals over houses.
Tree risk assessment qualification
Consulting and municipal work, less climbing.
Urban forestry diploma or degree
City forester, planner and consultant jobs.
Chainsaw safety and first aid
Take them before applying.
Rope skills
Climbing gyms, sailing and knots all help.
Driver's licence, DZ (medium truck) in Ontario
Chip trucks are big.
Fitness
Climbing a 25-metre maple with a saw takes real strength.
Plant identification
Know your species.
After ice storms and hurricanes, tree companies and utilities send crews across Canada and into the US for weeks of 14-hour days at overtime rates. It is exhausting, lucrative and how many young arborists pay off their gear.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
7am at the yard: load saws, ropes and fuel, check the chipper. First job by 8. A residential removal: the climber goes up, sets a rope, takes the tree down piece by piece while the ground crew lowers limbs on rigging lines and feeds the chipper. Lunch on the tailgate. A pruning job in the afternoon, rain or shine. Clean the site, sharpen chains, home by 5.
The good
The hard parts
Things people don't tell you.
Tree work consistently ranks among the most dangerous jobs in North America. Falls, chainsaw cuts, being struck by limbs and contact with power lines are the main causes. Training and gear are not optional.
The 1998 ice storm in Ontario and Quebec brought down millions of trees and put every arborist in eastern Canada on overtime for months. Big storms still do.
Toronto's urban forest has more than 10 million trees, and the city employs its own forestry crews plus contractors to look after the ones on public land.
Arborist is a certified trade in Ontario and BC but is not on the national Red Seal list. The ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certificate does the cross-Canada job instead.
Last checked September 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students.