What Does "ISA Certified Arborist" Mean, and Why Should You Care?

When you hire someone to work on your trees, you're trusting them with your property, your safety and trees that may have taken a century to grow. Credentials are how you separate professionals from people with a truck and a saw.

What is the ISA?

The International Society of Arboriculture is a worldwide professional organization dedicated to tree care research, education and standards. Its Certified Arborist credential is one of the most widely recognized in the industry.

What it takes

To earn the credential, a candidate has to meet experience or education requirements and pass a comprehensive exam covering tree biology, identification, soil science, pruning, diagnosis, tree risk, safe work practices and more. To keep it, Certified Arborists must earn continuing education credits and recertify on a regular cycle.

Why it matters on your property

• Better decisions. Knowing when a tree can be saved and when it truly needs to go.
• Safer work. Understanding how trees fail, and how to take them down without hurting people or property.
• Protecting what stays. Clearing and grading without killing the roots of the trees you want to keep.
• Honest advice. Sometimes the right recommendation is to leave a tree alone.

Maryland Licensed Tree Expert: a different requirement

In Maryland, tree removal and trimming for hire must be done by a business with a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert. That's a state license; ISA certification is a professional credential. Ask any company for both.

How to verify

The ISA maintains a public directory where you can verify a Certified Arborist's credential. For Maryland Licensed Tree Experts, ask for the license number and check it with the Maryland Forest Service. We encourage every customer to check ours.

Arborist-led, top to bottom

Goliath Land Management is led by an ISA Certified Arborist. That expertise shapes every tree removal, clearing and grading job we do. Meet our team.