r/arborists • • Aug 09 '26

Community ISA Certified Arborist flair holders

10 Upvotes

Congratulations to new flair holders.

Readers:

If you have ISA or other professional credentials and want a flair, send mods your ISA or other number. To message the mod team, in the (mobile app) sub menu or (web browser) right sidebar scroll down to MODERATORS and use the Message Mods button.

Also be aware that user flair is applied retroactively, so you may see a flair on a post or comment made 10+ years prior to the flair being awarded.


r/arborists • • Aug 11 '26

Community Help draft our FAQ: How to become an arborist

7 Upvotes

It helps to join the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), your local ISA chapter, and your state arborist association. This helps you get to know other people working in the industry, and when they have known you for years, and know your work or at least of your work, they will feel comfortable verifying your experience.

Attend as many trainings as you can get, participate in the training Q&As, and collect the associated continuing education credits.

ISA membership is independent of any ISA credentialing, so if you know you want to get ISA credentials but you are not yet eligible, joining ISA can help you become eligible sooner.

All of this makes you more employable, at higher pay, and safer on the job because you are more likely to recognize dangers. You will learn to recognize best practices.


r/arborists • • 6h ago

Absolutely gutted

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152 Upvotes

A delivery truck just annihilated our incredible Japanese maple, I’m on the verge of tears. It was just starting to get its fall colors too. Yes, I got insurance info and I’ve left messages with consulting arborists.


r/arborists • • 8h ago

Google Finland head apologises for forest clearances at data centre sites. Google's Finland chief says the company believed its forest clearances complied with the law, and that authorities knew of its plans

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192 Upvotes

r/arborists • • 3h ago

Gas company wants to trench

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28 Upvotes

Trying to get gas to the house from the street, and the guy says too many rocks to mole through so they would need to trench 2'. They want to go right between the biggest ones which seems like a terrible idea for the trees.

The red line is where I'm thinking would be best. The thin tree in the foreground right next to the red line is already nearly dead so it's fine to go, and the short one past that is also not in great shape so I'm fine with it if it doesn't survive. But that still passes within 5' of another tree and within 10' of those two bigger ones.

How much of a gamble am I in for?


r/arborists • • 7h ago

Ecological impact of Norway maples

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29 Upvotes

For the longest time I thought this tree was a sugar maple. After some research it appears to actually be a Norway maple. We live in an urban neighborhood of Missouri, and only have room for two trees on our lot. We thought we had a tree that supported local wildlife and insects, and then to learn the Norway maple is actually invasive was a bummer. I'm not going to cut it down and replace it just because it still provides excellent shade in the summer, but I'm not going to lie I'm going to look at differently now that i know its technically invasive.


r/arborists • • 1d ago

Pics of how my Freeman maple has healed

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598 Upvotes

r/arborists • • 2h ago

Gardener butchered the trees in our yard

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5 Upvotes

TLDR: Is there a way to make this better? What can I say to the landlord?

Background info. We own a house in another state, had tree work shortly before we moved by certified arborist. Trees looked great post trim.

Moved here this spring for a job. Rented this house at an exorbitant rate. Loved the back yard, tree in picture was heavily overhanging the roof to house and garage, provided a lot of shade, but wasn’t great for structures. Obviously the trees are old and were pollarded for years, but when original owner died (or perhaps sometime before) this had stopped. I don’t think they’ve trees were trimmed for the three years landlord owned the house. I mentioned to the landlord that he should look into getting the trees properly trimmed when the time was right.

I came home from a camping trip with my toddler to this, and a tree in front that looks equally as bad. It is bad? Right? I mean I don’t like the way the garden goes the shrubs and bushes either just trimming never pruning so you get dense dead leafless areas.

I know at its core this is not my circus, but my back room is now several degrees hotter, my patio lost its shade. And the trees which brought me such joy look like shit.

Help?!


r/arborists • • 1h ago

Redbud w Droopy Top. What is Needed?

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• Upvotes

Central Iowa - Flamethrower Redbud

We planted this redbud about 18 months ago.
It’s growing nicely but I have a concern about the leggy, floppy leader at its top.

The leader is rather long and curves downward

Should I leave it? Splint it? Prune it?

I don’t plan to do anything till the leaves fall but need help about how to best handle it.


r/arborists • • 1d ago

Landscaper did this to my parent’s backyard of Cedar Elm, Pecan and Live Oak (CenTex).

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228 Upvotes

Liquid-permeable landscape fabric and pea gravel. What’s the damage? Should it be replaced with mulch, or will the trees be ok if the gravel is thinned around their root flares?


r/arborists • • 25m ago

Pine Tree Health

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• Upvotes

Hello!

We have two pine trees in our backyard and over the last year or so we've noticed some of the branches and sections of the trees look to be in rough shape. To an untrained person I would assume that these branches are dying? Do we need to cut some of it away for new growth? Maybe hard to tell in pictures but hoping it's not parasite related or something in that realm.

These trees provide a natural buffer from neighbors so we want to keep them around as long as possible!

We live in Central Iowa and are coming out of a very wet September.

Home was built in the 90's and as far as I know these trees have been here ever since.

If I need to provide further pictures I can!
Thank you!


r/arborists • • 4h ago

Can anyone identify what this is?

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3 Upvotes

Looks like a fungus but not entirely sure. Thanks!


r/arborists • • 2h ago

ELI5 - How do I get my Norway Spruce Back to Health? Is it Even Possible?

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2 Upvotes

ELI5 - I'm in eastern upstate New York, about 10 miles southeast of the Adirondacks

Not sure what to do as I've never taken care of a tree. But I like a project so I'm going to try

Tree is about 55' tall and the trunk is 6.5' in circumference, just above the dirt

I cut off some of the lower branches that only had pine needles on the very end of the branch. Was that bad? Or can I cut off the rest that are like that? I just assumed the tree was dying of old age so may as well, now I'm not so sure

Soil is sandy up here, maybe you'd call it loamy? I included a pic of the soil. Tree gets lots of sun starting with sunrise. We get tons of rain up here. Cold winters

I took included some pics of the fungi that I found growing in the soil. Not sure if it matters

In the pics you can see a mulberry and a locust tree growing right up through the branches of the spruce. Are they harmless or are they hurting the spruce?

I have spent HOURS ripping up Oriental Bittersweet. The vines but also the extensive root system. It had been growing all over the tree. I killed it but the dead vines are still wrapped all up the tree. Is that bad? I don't feel safe climbing up the tree

Moss and some weird blue stuff growing on branches. See pics

Any hope that it can grow back its needles and its "fullness". Or is it a goner?

If you can tell me what to do or direct me to helpful links that would be great! LMK if you need more pictures!


r/arborists • • 45m ago

Eastern Redbud in Central AR

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• Upvotes

Hey, folks! Any idea why my tree would look like this? In its second or third year, never seen it so bad. Under watered or over watered? Just the scorching heat we've been having? I think my neighbor's wife waters it every night or two when she waters hers. (I'm on the right)


r/arborists • • 2h ago

Dogwood with hole between branches

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1 Upvotes

Due to how the branches grew on this dogwood, water is pooling between them and it seems like it's getting deeper over time. Anything I can or should do here?


r/arborists • • 13h ago

Crimson Sunset Maple help

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6 Upvotes

I didnt put guards on secure enough and I assume a buck knocked them off and did this. What should I do to help heal the tree? Tree is about 3 years old, I planted it 2 years ago


r/arborists • • 9h ago

Do I have too much to prune?

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2 Upvotes

Silver maple. I believe four years old. Probably 12-14ft tall. The middle branch is by far the tallest, with two smaller branches, one on either side. I've kept the smaller ones trimmed back (they go about half-way up) with the intention of taking them off completely, but I'm a little nervous it may be cutting out too much mass to do without harming the tree.


r/arborists • • 5h ago

Will this kill tree?

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1 Upvotes

Caught my kid hitting and peeling bark from my apple tree. Will this kill it? Thanks


r/arborists • • 6h ago

How can I clean this up?

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1 Upvotes

Same trees from different angles.


r/arborists • • 7h ago

FUNGUS ID PLS

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1 Upvotes

Some fruiting bodies up against the base of a Coast Live Oak in LA front yard. Not growing out of but up against. Harmful or no??


r/arborists • • 7h ago

Tree Health

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1 Upvotes

SW IL

Hey everyone, question about the health of this tree. I moved into this home last year and had to trim some rotten limbs off of this bad boy. I believe it is some species of maple but am unsure.

The cracked limb is from a storm a few weeks ago. And the fungus/mushroom growth is new on one the dead limbs that was trimmed.

Should I cut my losses and have it cut down?


r/arborists • • 1d ago

100-150 year old maple tree. How concerning is this?

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52 Upvotes

I believe this is chicken of the woods. The canopy seems healthy. The bark is rolling and thick near it. I did contact a company today. Waiting to hear back.


r/arborists • • 9h ago

Are we in deep trouble?

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0 Upvotes

Last year I was asking about this tree and if there were issues with the roots being too close to the house. Now I have a new concern… Compared to what it looked like last year it looks like it’s dying. I did have to dig up one of its big roots that was next to the house but otherwise nothing else has changed. Any thoughts?

Attached our photos of what it looks like now and what it looked like last year.


r/arborists • • 10h ago

Digital copy of utility arboriculture book

0 Upvotes

Does anybody have or know where I can get a digital copy of the book?

I don’t want to give ISA $70 for it.


r/arborists • • 1d ago

What happened to this plane tree

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12 Upvotes

Why does it have so few branches? They also look really squiggly and I don't see that on other plane trees. Had dead branches in the summer now it's turning earlier than the others. It also has a cavity at the bottom