TREE SERVICE/MAINTENANCE

Qualifications

Job Requirements
Formal Education:  High school diploma or equivalent required.  Associate Degree in Arboriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, or related field preferred.

Experience:  Over four years of experience in bucket truck operations, tree pruning, and tree removal are required. Climbing experience preferred.

Certifications Required:  ISA Certified Arborist preferred. SC Non-commercial Pesticide License Category 3 preferred.

Driver’s License Required:  Must have or obtain a valid South Carolina Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) within 3 weeks of hire. Must have or obtain a valid Class B South Carolina Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with air brake provisions within 3 months of hire.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of:

• ANSI Z133 Safety Requirements for Arboriculture Operations.
• ANSI 300A Standards for proper tree care.
• Rigging with ropes, blocks, lowering devices, and cranes.
• Proper felling techniques.
• Tree, pest, and disease identification.

Ability to:

• Read papers, periodicals, journals, manuals, and policies.
• Deal with a system of real numbers; and practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios/proportions and measurement.
• Write simple sentences containing subject, verb, and object, and/or series of numbers, names, and addresses.
• Document work performed through work management system.
• Rig tree parts safely to ground.
• Assess trees for dangerous conditions such as power lines, cavities, weak attachments and downed tree pressure points.
• Formulate work plan based on the environment of the tree removal or pruning and convey work plan to workers on site.
• Operate the tools and equipment listed below.

Machines, Tools, Equipment, and Work Aids:  Bucket truck (CDL and non-CDL), chain saw, hand saw, front end loader, backhoe, chains, hand tools, pole saws, ropes, and lowering devices.  Dump truck (CDL), skid steer, ditch witch, stump grinder, chipper, large sprayer, spider lift, and excavator.  Computer and related software, phones, two-way radio, map software, and work management software.

Working Conditions
Primary Work Location:  Outdoors.

Environmental/Health and Safety Factors:  Frequent exposure to unpleasant environmental conditions and/or hazards.  Majority of work performed outside or with exposure to risk.  Daily exposure to extreme temperature, wetness and/or humidity, respiratory hazards, noise and vibration, and physical hazards.  Constant exposure to mechanical hazards, electrical hazards, and physical danger.  Frequent exposure to chemical hazards.  Occasional exposure to fire hazards.  Rare exposure to explosives.

Protective Equipment Required:  Helmet, gloves, eye protection, ear protection, steel toe boots, safety vest, chainsaw chaps, bee suit, spray mask, fall harness, and climbing rope.

Physical Demands
Continuously requires standing, walking, lifting, carrying, kneeling, pushing/pulling, climbing, vision, hearing, and talking.  Frequently requires foot controls, bending, crouching, and twisting.  Occasionally requires fine dexterity, sitting, reaching, handling, and balancing.  Rarely requires crawling.  Very Heavy strength demands include exerting over 100 pounds occasionally, 50-100 pounds frequently, or from 20 up to 50 pounds constantly.

Mental Demands
Frequently requires time pressures, emergency situations, frequent change of tasks, irregular schedule/overtime, performing multiple tasks simultaneously, working closely with others as part of a team, tedious or exacting work, and noisy/distracting environment.