im sick of ISA CA's telling me....

Joshua Rugg

im soo sick and tired of ISA certified arbos telling me what i say doesnt hold any validity because im not an ISA CA. there are ????ing nazi's out there guys. watch your backs and know that if you have taken the time to study trees and know from in field practice, your more right then those class room idiots that spend more time in the class room then the work environment. im not sure if i wanna become ISA cert now because of all this type of behavior is making feel ill. i hate how some ISA CA's treat non CA's like a lesser of sorts and blow us off when we are talking as if we dont know anything.

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Stihl
MS192T 14"
MS200T 16"
MS261 16"
MS440 25"

Husqvarna 359 20"
394XP 32"

Poulan P3314 14" ( new hire/groundy saw)

Victor Lindsay

Sounds like you're having a bad time with an ISA member. But if your talking about writing reports or applying for a permit, you should have some classroom training. Governments have confidence in certification and require them, (this covers thier ass). If you where in Austraila, you would need to have your tickets and Hort certificates before doing work. Look at Ekka and JayD, Hort 3 and hort 5. Lots of training there, and more than you would get from ISA. And if their system wasn't inplace at the time they started, and only ISA was avalable, you would see them displaying ISA certifiation also. It's what we have here in the USA, and most governments reconize it as a showing of confidence that the business has training in the field. I'm ISA certified, hold a lic from the Bureau of entomology & pest control, have my certificate in horticulture and BMP. I'm taking classes in Foresty too, but I always respect others in the field of arboriculture, certified or not, I can always learn something. I had to jump through all types of hoops to get my business legal...it's just something you need to do. Is ISA the best choice...NO! Are they hurting the field of Arboriculture...NO!

Eric Frei

Hard as Stihl,

There was an old saying, "if you cant beat them join them".

So when I was getting my Cert 3 and after I batted it up against some guys.

Then they said (on the consulting front) what I say is crap because I'm not Cert 5.

So I got Cert 5 and kept batting it up to them.

Then one Sir fool says my Certs are bogus and starts some BS camapign as he does and others then push two key things:-

1. 5 years post graduate experience to consult (write reports)
2. Must belong to their org and pay their fees and listen to their bullshit

So what this shows is the mentality not the qualification you are dealing with, sadly when these types are linked together chum bums they do a lot of damage to people and proclaim it as their right and "had to be done because we cant lose control".

Here in Australia their days are numbered.

Seeking Interest for New Arboricultural Association

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Victor Lindsay

We have the same problem here with the county Biologist. They make the rules on how we should trim trees and mangroves. But I just keep pushing forward. I'm in a battle now with Biologist on a mangrove trimming permit I applied for. But at the end end of the day I'll trim the mangrove and get paid, (It's a 3300.00 job for me).

Eric Frei

What are you trimming on mangrove trees I wonder?

Perhaps crown lifting for those swamp hicks to catch gators and snakes?

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Joshua Rugg

thats hilarious eric i think its so they can go "noodling" for catfish without having to weave through cabbage.

anyways on to the topic. im working on my ISA cert but at the same time im getting ridiculed by a few arbos here for doing things that are to them questionable. i know there is a standard for pruning but they are not set in stone rules. things like the 1/3 rule can be modified because not every species of tree is the same and here in the tropics people get away with topping yet i get in trouble for breaking the 1/3 rule?? am i missing something here?

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Stihl
MS192T 14"
MS200T 16"
MS261 16"
MS440 25"

Husqvarna 359 20"
394XP 32"

Poulan P3314 14" ( new hire/groundy saw)

Victor Lindsay

No...no, not for gators or snakes or catfish, all good choices though.

Windows man, windows. My client wants windows.

Brent Ferris

Yep, I have done windows for people -- the people like the view, doesn't hurt the trees much, and except for the government types, everybody is happy.

Hard as STIHL -- you'll always get crap from others, if that is what they want to feed you, and you want to associate with them.
I have a degree in Forestry, (and an arborist certificate) and most of the arborists think they know a lot more than me, and maybe they do.
But, I don't work for them -- I work for the client. So unless they are badmouthing me against the client, I just ignore them., I have found that most people are interested in knowledge, experience, confidence, doing a terrific job, and treating the client like a somebody, with respect.
There will always be others trying to put you down. If you join with their tactics, you are no better than them, and you can never succeed by their rules.
Make your own rules, stick to them, treat the customer right, and work with integrity. It works a lot better in the long run.

And the 1/3 rule, is a rule of thumb. Some species and trees -- you want to err on the light side, some you can be heavier, some you can be drastic and they will still come back (usually called weed trees; they like to survive, no matter what!)

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My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
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