Tree Surgeon
Role lens
Tree surgeons maintain trees. They use heavy machinery to prune and cut trees. Tree surgeons are often required to climb the trees to perform maintenance.
Tree surgeons are responsible for the ongoing care and maintenance of trees, ensuring their health and structural integrity. This often involves working at heights, using specialized equipment like chainsaws and aerial lifts, and assessing tree health to prevent potential hazards. The role demands a practical skillset and a commitment to safety protocols.
- • Pruning and trimming trees to promote healthy growth and shape.
- • Removing dead or hazardous branches and trees.
- • Climbing trees to access and work on branches and foliage.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Market-oriented skilled agricultural workers — 27 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece and 5 more.
Longest-running shortage: Netherlands, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $50,960 2025-05 | +3.3% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | −7.2% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £27,519 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for tree surgeon
The outlook for tree surgeon reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could tree surgeon change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- protect trees
- execute disease and pest control activities
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- minimize risks in tree operations
- de-limb trees
- perform tree thinning
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Agriculture
A typical day as a tree surgeon
09 09:00 · Morning carry out aerial tree rigging
10 10:30 · Mid-morning advise on tree issues
12 12:00 · Midday de-limb trees
14 14:00 · Afternoon execute disease and pest control activities
15 15:30 · Late afternoon perform tree thinning
17 17:00 · Wrap-up minimize risks in tree operations
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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de-limb trees
De-limb trees ensuring that the quality is within specified limits with regard to health and safety regulations. Cut trees or parts of trees to clear the public access and electrical cables.
-
perform tree thinning
Removing some trees from a stand in order to improve tree health, timber value and production.
-
protect trees
Preserve trees taking into account the health and conditions of the tree(s) and plans for preservation and conservation of the area. This includes the cutting of trees or branches on trees applying knowlege of the biology of the tree.
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execute disease and pest control activities
Execute disease and pest control activities using conventional or biological methods taking into account the climate, plant or crop type, health and safety and environmental regulations. Store and handle pesticides in accordance with recomandation and legislation.
-
advise on tree issues
Advise organisations or private individuals on planting, caring for, pruning or removing trees.
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minimize risks in tree operations
Evaluate risks and hazards, perform efficient actions in order to minimize risks and to restore the trees to their orginal state or to replant new ones.
-
carry out aerial tree rigging
Undertake aerial tree rigging to safely remove lower tree sections using suitable cuts, minimising shock loading in the rigging systems. Take into account the expected load and the positions of the ground crew, other anchor points, equipment, planned drop zone, and processing area.
-
operate chainsaw
Operate mechanical chainsaw powered by electricity, compressed air or gasoline.
-
climb trees
Ascend and descend from trees in a safely manner.
-
follow safety procedures when working at heights
Take necessary precautions and follow a set of measures that assess, prevent and tackle risks when working at a high distance from the ground. Prevent endangering people working under these structures and avoid falls from ladders, mobile scaffolding, fixed working bridges, single person lifts etc. since they may cause fatalities or major injuries.
tree preservation and conservation
Environmental requirements for tree preservation and conservation.
- forest ecology
Path to become a tree surgeon
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
168 programmes in 27 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 46 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Advanced Certificate in Arboriculture
Galway & Roscommon Education and Training Board · Ireland
Higher Certificate in Horticulture
Teagasc · Ireland
Forest Science (Forest Environmental Science, Environmental Materials Science)
SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY · South Korea
Forest Environmental Protection Major
KANGWON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY(Chuncheon) · South Korea
Chainsaw Operations QQI Level 5 5N3404
HCT Learning · Ireland
These are 6 of 214.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
- 3. Source: Study in Serbia, an initiative of Foundation Tempus (bazaobrazovanja.rs).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does tree surgeon fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of physical fitness is required to be a tree surgeon?
Are there specific safety precautions I need to be aware of?
What is the typical work environment for a tree surgeon?
How much does Tree Surgeon pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data