Professionalism in Arboriculture With part of its mission being to promote professionalism in Arboriculture, it's no wonder that for 30 years TCIA has been behind a program known as the Professional Home Study Program for Arborists. Although the Home Study Program has a long and illustrious history, through constant revision it has remained one of the foremost comprehensive information sources for practicing arborists.

The program's history

The TCIA Arborist Home Study course was originally written by Dr. J. James Kielbaso, Dr. Melvin Koelling, and Dr. Roy Mecklenburg, Michigan State University; and Dr. Spencer Davis Jr. and Dr. Eileen Brennan, Department of Plant Pathology, Rutgers University during the period from 1970 to 1972.

In 1979, the original work was reviewed and updated by Dr. Dennis Ryan, University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Amherst, Massachusetts. Dr. Alex Shigo of Shigo & Trees, Associates and retired Chief Scientist, Northeastern Forest Experimental Station, Durham, N.H., was consulted. A session was based on his work.

In 1991, this program was again reviewed and updated. Reviewers included: Dr. Alex Shigo; Robert Felix, TCIA Executive Vice-President (1972-1996); Dr. Dan Neely, Illinois Natural History Survey; Edwin Irish, Chas. F. Irish Company, Inc.; William Rae, Consulting Arborist in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire; Erik H. Haupt, The F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Co. Inc.; Tim Johnson, Artistic Arborist, Inc.; Dr. Michael Raupp, University of Maryland; Dr. Eileen Brennan, Rutgers University; Dr. Elton Smith, The Ohio State University; John Britton, John Britton Tree Experts; Larry Holkenborg, Holkenborg Nursery, Inc.; Peter Gerstenberger, TCIA Director of Safety & Education; and members of the TCIA Education Committee.

After many partial revisions, the program was again fully revised in 2001. New contributors include: Robert Reeder, Trees, Inc.; Ed Hayes, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources; Dr. Ed Gilman, Florida State University; Dr. Nina Bassuk, Cornell University; Dr. Tom Smiley, F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company; Dr. James Clark, Hortscience; Dr. Michael Raupp; Dr. John Ball, South Dakota State University; Wayne Outlaw, human resources consultant; and the TCIA Safety Committee.

Course contents of Home Study Series 1, 2 & 3:

Home Study 1 - Basic Arboriculture covers tree anatomy/physiology, soils, CODIT, pruning, safety procedures, tree transplanting, and tree I.D. 

Home Study 2 - Advanced Arboriculture covers diagnosis, non-parasitic injuries, insect problems, diseases, pollution damage, pesticide application, fertilization and maintenance/repair practices. 

Home Study 3 (Crew Leader) - delves into the skills needed by the entry-level manager: personal & crew safety, client & public safety, production, quality & professionalism, training and coaching, leadership, communication, and performance and feedback.

Since it was introduced, the TCIA Arborist Home Study program has helped improve the professionalism of over 8000 arborists. Aside from the fantastic quality of its content, other benefits of this program include: 

• The convenience and flexibility of correspondence learning 
• Employer friendly, because TCIA does all the test grading and record-keeping 
• Cost-effective, compared to off-site workshops, seminars and schools 

To check on your Home Study grades or status, please e-mail TCIA by clicking here. If you do not have email, please call us at 800-733-2622.