Tree Trimmers and Pruners: Job Description
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
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What Do Tree Trimmers and Pruners Do?
Typical responsibilities of tree trimmers and pruners include:
- Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines.
- Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools.
- Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers.
- Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment.
- Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle.
- Climb trees, using climbing hooks and belts, or climb ladders to gain access to work areas.
- Supervise others engaged in tree trimming work and train lower-level employees.
- Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top tree trimmers and pruners rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Tree Trimmers and Pruners Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Arborist
- Brush Clearing Laborer
- Bucket Operator
- Bucket Truck Operator
- Climber
- Climber Trimmer
- Climbing Arborist
- Diagnostician
Job Outlook
There are roughly 536,554 tree trimmers and pruners working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -2.7% over the projection horizon.
Tree Trimmers and Pruners Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $40,997 |
| Hourly median | $19.71 |
| 10th percentile | $26,337 |
| 25th percentile | $33,667 |
| 75th percentile | $48,327 |
| 90th percentile | $55,658 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Tree Trimmers and Pruners Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $84,740 |
| Minnesota | $68,030 |
| Illinois | $64,550 |
| Rhode Island | $64,240 |
| Oregon | $63,290 |
| California | $62,880 |
| New York | $62,180 |
| Washington | $61,750 |
| New Jersey | $61,660 |
| Hawaii | $60,580 |
| Vermont | $60,320 |
| Massachusetts | $60,130 |
| New Hampshire | $57,830 |
| Maine | $57,820 |
| Utah | $53,900 |
| North Dakota | $51,490 |
| New Mexico | $50,690 |
| Colorado | $49,920 |
| Montana | $49,860 |
| Nevada | $49,680 |
| Florida | $49,490 |
| South Dakota | $49,430 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,280 |
| Puerto Rico | $49,210 |
| Virginia | $49,090 |
| Wyoming | $48,680 |
| Wisconsin | $48,510 |
| South Carolina | $48,240 |
| Michigan | $48,070 |
| West Virginia | $47,960 |
| Ohio | $47,800 |
| Connecticut | $47,330 |
| Missouri | $46,860 |
| Arizona | $46,650 |
| Mississippi | $46,630 |
| Indiana | $46,280 |
| Tennessee | $45,890 |
| Maryland | $45,710 |
| North Carolina | $44,740 |
| Kansas | $44,640 |
| Oklahoma | $44,500 |
| Georgia | $41,730 |
| Idaho | $41,710 |
| Iowa | $41,330 |
| Texas | $40,030 |
| Kentucky | $39,830 |
| Alabama | $39,600 |
| Louisiana | $38,950 |
| Arkansas | $37,830 |
| Nebraska | $37,220 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for tree trimmers and pruners differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $62,881 | 24.8% | 1.51 |
| Middle Atlantic | $55,965 | 17.1% | 1.10 |
| New England | $54,934 | 3.6% | 1.89 |
| Rocky Mountains | $51,088 | 3.2% | 0.92 |
| Great Lakes | $50,915 | 14.0% | 0.99 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $49,210 | 0.3% | 0.41 |
| Southeast | $45,495 | 22.5% | 1.69 |
| Plains States | $44,685 | 6.5% | 1.15 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Tree Trimmers and Pruners
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $78,920 | 800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $76,090 | 930 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $72,760 | 570 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $71,350 | 210 |
| Modesto, CA | CA | $68,120 | 90 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $67,170 | 80 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $65,050 | 740 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | ME | $64,600 |
Top Industries Employing Tree Trimmers and Pruners
The largest employers of tree trimmers and pruners are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 42,980 | $49,820 |
| Utilities | 970 | $60,780 |
| Construction | 470 | $52,490 |
| Educational Services | 130 | $54,290 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 90 | $52,240 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 70 | $50,350 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 40 | $74,810 |
Tree Trimmers and Pruners work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
The work environment for tree trimmers and pruners reflects the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
- Frequency of Decision Making
How to Become Tree Trimmers and Pruners
Typical tree trimmers and pruners positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Forest and Conservation Technicians (Supplemental)
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (Primary-Short)
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (Primary-Short)
- Agricultural Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (Primary-Short)
- Forest and Conservation Workers (Primary-Short)
- Fallers (Primary-Short)
- Logging Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 37-3013.00 (Tree Trimmers and Pruners).
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