This course is designed to support a career at a supervisory or technician level careers managing trees in residential or commercial properties, urban or rural locations, parks, gardens, land rehabilitation or commercial forestry.
Note that each module in the ADVANCED CERTIFICATE IN APPLIED MANAGEMENT (ARBORICULTURE) is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Tree pruning is an important aspect of arboriculture. Pruning involves the selective removal of plant material – usually branches in the case of tree surgery. Different types of pruning are used at different times in a tree’s life. Formative pruning is used to shape young plants so that they will grow into healthy, attractive and sound trees. As a tree matures, other types of pruning operations are needed to preserve its health and stability. These operations include branch removal, crown cleaning, crown thinning, crown reduction, crown lifting and crown renewal.
It is also important for arborists to know how to remove a tree safely. Removal of trees should always be viewed as a last resort; however this may sometimes be necessary to prevent trees falling onto houses, cars or causing other dangerous situations.
Caution
Tree pruning and tree removal are dangerous operations. We provide the following information as a broad guide to these important arboriculture techniques. However, it is essential to gain first-hand practical experience under the supervision of an expert arborist and to follow all recommended safety measures when carrying out dangerous tree work.
Removing Branches
Sometimes branches need to be removed or repaired for the following reasons:
If the ground below is free of obstructions, lightweight branches or branch sections can simply be thrown down. For heavier branches or if obstructions prevent clear throwing, ropes are used to lower the cut limbs. This involves passing a strong lowering rope through an anchoring point and then tying the rope to the branch that is to be removed. Ground staff then wraps the rope around the trunk to create friction, which allows the branch to be lowered in a controlled manner.
Crown Cleaning
Dead, damaged, diseased or crowded branches are removed to improve the tree’s appearance and growth. Untidy or nuisance growth such as invasive climbers or messy fruits may also be removed
Crown Thinning
This involves reducing the density of branches and stems without reducing the overall height or width of the tree. Thinning the crow improves air circulation (and reduces the incidence of disease) and allows more light into the tree and onto the ground below.
Crown thinning is usually carried out on mature deciduous trees; it may also be used to compensate for root loss or root damage on newly-transplanted trees or following excavations. Generally the crown is reduced by a maximum of 25%. Excessive thinning can result in sunburn and stimulation of weak, epicormic shoots. It can also lead to an overall decline in the tree’s vigour.
Crown Reduction
This involves cutting back branches to reduce the tree’s size (ie. reducing its height and/or canopy spread). It is usually carried out because the tree has become too large its position.
Branches are cut back to growing points (laterals) so that the overall shape and vigour is maintained. They are not lopped back to the trunk – re-growth from these cuts is usually weak, overcrowded and unattractive.
Crown Lifting
This involves pruning the lower limbs so that the height of the crown in raised, allowing better access and light penetration below.
Ideally lower branches are removed while the tree is still growing, reducing the need for large, potentially disfiguring cuts.
Crown Renewal
This involves renewing a damaged or severely lopped crown. It is carried out to improve the tree’s appearance and vigour.
Crown renewal is generally a long-term process, often taking several years of corrective pruning and crown thinning before the desired shape is realised.
HOW WILL STUDY GET YOU WORK?
Knowledge is More Important than Qualifications
Knowledge is the most important aspect of arboriculture – qualifications come second. However to work in this industry it is advisable that you have a qualification – it shows that you are serious about your chosen industry and that you are willing to take the right steps to work in the industry and also to keep working within it.
Choosing the right course
Choosing the right course is an important decision for any student, no matter what area of horticulture they are studying for or working within. A course should give you more than just facts, it should enable you to gather information but it should also be structured in such a way that you can recall this information even years later. Not all courses do this – especially those that concentrate on competency based learning. Our courses (like many universities) are based on Problem Based Learning – this encourages students to develop problem solving skills and has been found to be the best way to not only gather information but also to be able to retain and recall it. It is not learning by rote!
Our courses have been written by people with years and years of industry experience – they know what you need to know, they also know what the industry wants and also how to encourage and help you to gather those important skills and fundamental knowledge.
Consider Yourself A Professional
Arboriculture, a branch of horticulture, is a specialised field – it is not just a matter of cutting down trees! It is the care and maintenance of trees i.e. tree surgery, tree selection, planting cultivation and production – lopping trees is a last resort.
Safety is also an incredibly important part of arboriculture – it is a high risk industry. Arborists are professionals in their field – if you have a professional attitude towards arboriculture and demonstrate this in interviews then you are more likely to get a job in the field. A professional attitude means that you show prospective employers that you have a sound understanding of the industry, a sound understanding of what arboriculture entails and a professional approach to work.
There is Competition out there
Like any other industry don’t forget that there are many other people competing for the same job – some may have higher qualifications, but if you can confidently prove your skills and knowledge and also have a qualification to back them up - then you will stand out from the crowd.