Oregon in the U.S.A.

mdvaden

In Oregon, minor regulations, such as preservation, are individual from city to city, so I will skip that part.

In Oregon, right now (2007), almost anybody doing tree work and pruning must have a license with the state, and that requires a bond and insurance.

Many tree service / arborists are licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. It's where the tree services started a licensing process, years after the landscapers started a licensing process with a landscape license board. There are two exemptions:

1. Licensed Landscape Contractor (also with bond and license)

2. "Gardeners" > pruning under 15', pruning cuts under 4" in diameter and removals where trunk diameter is less than 5" in diameter (the little stuff).

The Construction Board does not really have a compentency test for tree services. There is a small test covering laws, rules (more policy).

The Landscape Contractors Board handles landscaping and has several tests comparable to multiple college final exams.

ONLY landscape contractors with the landscape license, can advertise tree planting and transplanting. With the contractors board license, an arborist is limited to the REPLACEMENT planting of trees, not to exceed $500 per year per address.

So the landscape license in Oregon, is the only license that enables the broad scope of arboriculture including pruning, bracing, planting, etc..

Any pesticide application of significance, falls under the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and requires an additional pesticide license for anybody who wants to offer that service. It requires about 2 hours of testing: not easy, but not hard.

Certification is not required in Oregon - yet - but is required in some cities for certain trees, such as street trees, for example.

Why the Construction board and certain tree services didn't initiate licensing under the landscape board originally, is still a topic of curiosity. Because the landscape board was a division of the construction board when the tree service licensing process was put together. Now, the landscape license board is separate.

Eric Frei

Mario

That seems a pretty organized way to run a place.

Does it stamp out hacks?

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TREE-SURFER

Godamn it (forgive my slight blasphemy), but I'm up for that and I know Ekka is with me on this one.
Lets get them Fv{3r5 on the Highway to Hell. No Quallies = No licence_ No licence = Trees get looked after by us pro's Yee F____in' Har........
Cmon'

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The Aerial Arborist

Isle of Man Tree Surgeon| All Aspects of Tree Work

What experts say about TOPPING

mdvaden

It does most of the time. The smaller the city and farther into the country, the less effective it is. But in general, it works. Especially for tree work because its so obvious and in plain sight most of the time.

I was on the landscaper board for 2 terms - until Autumn of 2005.

http://www.mdvaden.com/license.shtml

Our administrator often reduced the fine if the illegal activity person would start the licens process. The primary goal was compliance, which means getting enough qualification to pass the extensive test.

If they didn't stand a chance of qualifying, then the fine could stand at the higher cost.

newguy18

Hey Mario is it pretty much the same for northern california?I'm moving out there in march and I figured I need to know the rules out there.

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old schooler

mdvaden

I don't know the specifics, but I understand that the California "landscape contracting" is very similar to Oregon's arrangement.

For trees, I'm not sure, but don't seem to recall testing. But it would suprise the heck out of me if they didn't require bond and insurance.

Check out the new thread I'm putting up for California - addding link

Why northern California by the way? Friends? Just curious, as I'd almost consider an LA suburb if I was younger and planning to move to California. But northern California is very nice looking if you are near the hillls or coastal area.

newguy18

okay will do.

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old schooler

arborjockey

its similar to nor. cal. other then you have be fluent in spanish for nor.cal. and in oregon braken spanish will get you by Before i left oregon (7-8 days ago) my boss got pulled out of a tree in tualtin or. by a lady demanding proof of insurance and bonding, plus I.D.s on all workers. He was hot (descending a 100' fir for nothing he thought) and asked her what kind of badge she carried as " the tree police" . so she showed her badge in which he provided everything she asked. She explained how many rat tree companies were out there and she was doing a major crack down. Even companies with insurance arent usually covered because their working out of their jurisdiction or county their insured in. wheres Your papers