Tree Climber / Trimmer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Tree Climber or Trimmer trims and prunes trees. Clears away excess branches near utility lines or over roads or sidewalks. Prunes dead or diseased tree limbs to improve the appearance and health of the tree. Uses rigging equipment and may work from a truck powered lift; uses chain saws and other power equipment.
Job Outlook
There were 515 Tree Climber / Trimmer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 11408 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Tree Climber / Trimmer industry, which includes the Tree Climber / Trimmer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Tree Climber / Trimmer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $47,375.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $45,057.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Tree Climber / Trimmer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $40,904.
Education and Experience
Posted Tree Climber / Trimmer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 0.98% |
| Master's Degree | 0.57% |
| Doctoral Degree | 0.18% |
| Other | 30.93% |
Posted Tree Climber / Trimmer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 84.5% |
| 3 to 5 years | 14.52% |
| 6 to 8 years | 0.55% |
| 9+ years | 0.44% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Tree Climber / Trimmer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Loading And Unloading (25.32%)
- Hand Signals (22.9%)
- Management (22.1%)
- Coordinating (21.29%)
- Fine Motor Skills (20.7%)
- Operations (12.79%)
- Communication (12.7%)
- Lifting Ability (12.31%)
- Detail Oriented (8.87%)
- Good Driving Record (6.69%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Chainsaws (43.36%)
- Housekeeping (24%)
- Overhead Lines (11.47%)
- Pruning (53.17%)
- Trimming (28.91%)
- Balancing (Ledger/Billing) (23.88%)
- Pole Climbing (22.54%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Hand Tools (10.28%)
- Herbicides (13.25%)
- Cannabis (7.15%)
- Forklift Truck (7.04%)
- Aerial Lifts (10.21%)
- Machinery (3.52%)
- Sawing (12.56%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Overhead Lines (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Tree Climber / Trimmer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Trimmer/Climber
- Tree Climber
- Trimmer
- Tree Trimmer
- Climber
- Tree Climber/Arborist
- Line Clearance Trimmer
- Climber Trimmer/Aerial Lift Operator
- Tree Worker
- Tree and Shrub Specialist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Farm / Nursery / Greenhouse Worker
- Forest / Conservation Technician
- Nursery / Greenhouse Manager
- Landscaping / Grounds Supervisor
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Tree Climber / Trimmer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Asplundh Tree Experts (1912)
- The Davey Tree Expert Company (662)
- SavATree (545)
- Wright Tree Service (439)
- Penn Line Service (210)
- Lewis Tree Service (190)
- Nelson Tree Service (152)
- Monster Tree Service (134)
- Xylem Tree Experts (121)
- Kendall Vegetation Services (119)
North Carolina
- Asplundh Tree Experts (206)
- Burfords Tree (31)
- Xylem Tree Experts (26)
- The Davey Tree Expert Company (24)
- Lewis Tree Service (17)
- SavATree (9)
- Monster Tree Service (8)
- Talx Company (8)
- Pike Electric (6)
- Woodson Incorporated (6)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- General Horticulture Undergraduate Certificates
- Horticultural Science Graduate Certificates
- Horticultural Science Master's Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.