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Thread: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

  1. #1
    Member Vic TomS's Avatar
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    Default Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    I I do lawns and gardening, but find myself doing more and more tree work, but I am very much self taught. I have read a few books and had some instruction from orchardists and can normally bluff my way along, but have been thinking of doing a TAFE course in aboriculture a day a week. TAFE offer a cert 111 and IV- the first takes a year, the second 3 years.

    The cert 111 looks more fun but if I did the IV perhaps I'd be set up for tree assessments and planning etc. I'm 47 YO so wouldn't mind making a quid out of the intelligent side of it down the track.

    Wouldn't mind going along with one of you tree guys if you need someone!

    Really like some advice on the quals. Thanks Fellas.

    Tom

  2. #2
    Senior Member happymowin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    i dont do tree work like that, and im certainly not qualified,

    but if you find it fun, and it interests you, and you cna make good dough from it down the track, my opinion (if you want it lol) would be to go for it, tom

    having that qualification cant hurt, its only a night? a week, go for it mate

    its gotta make you SOME extra dough

    ive often thought of doing a pest controllers course - i nearly got a subby job for one of the possum guys here in brissie - where they put you through the pest courses - still think about doing the course.


    find out morea bout em, see what each cert gets you qualified for.

    the more info you have to make your decision the better.



    it cant make you LESS money to have the qual.

    hope i helped

    cheers

  3. #3
    Member Treecat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    sign up over at www.treeworld.info/ (and even treebuzz's articles sections its good read) and do some reading/ask some questions.

    I would not bother with a cert 2(as in your title) as its a waste a time(you probably already know it all anyway) even if you plan to go onto a cert 3 or 4.

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    MEMBER Fred's mowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Tom, go to the tree forum for more insight.
    At 47, u'd want to be gettin into the management side of things more in that game.
    Also the startup captital will be considerable.
    To do it safely, u'll need at least an offsider, most crews r 3-4 or more.
    Insurance is high as u would expect.
    If u start doing the real big stuff, quals would be highly recommended, u simply gotta know what your doing.
    I think that it would be great to start out as an employee whilst doing the certificate.
    It would be great to get the hands on, not just the theory without all the responsibility.
    Obviously rigging large trees over buildings is 4 the experts only.
    You could start outdoing the smaller stuff (if there's a market for that), & build up to the bigger stuff whilst doing the ticket.
    We do trees to a certain height/difficulty, then I pass them to my neighbour (pro tree company) who do the lot.
    You've mentioned trees a few times now, you obviously have an incling for this type of work.
    Possibly the shorter coarse first, which should give u credits 4 the longer one if desired????
    Cheers Fred.

  5. #5
    Member of forum Woodchip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Gday Tom,
    I started out in tree work, exactly the same way as you are starting to now.
    But I was in my very early 20's.
    There is no doubt in my mind that it is a young mans gig!, of course there are exceptations of the odd older person still climbing but you will most likely find they have been doing it for decades & its the only thing they know.
    I'm 43 & consider myself too old to climb full or even part-time, I absolutely love doing tree work & really enjoy it when the odd small, easy tree comes along every now & then.
    It scares the hell out of me even when I just think about the huge, sometimes dangerous trees I used to take out when I was younger.

    I did the Arboriculture Techniques course at TAFE (which I think is the cert II), which I thought was fantastic & anyway it was a non-negotiable (at the time) prerequisite to the Tree Surgery (cert III, I think) which I also did, it was definitely the best educational course I have ever done, it was focused 90% on practical tree climbing & rigging techniques.
    I dont know how that course would be run nowadays in this over-regulated society!.

    I suggest you do the cert II, if you know a lot of it thats cool, a good tutor will spot that & help you with more advanced & technical aspects. Then if you enjoy that go onto the cert III, or cert IV & get more into the tree managment aspect.

    cheers

  6. #6
    Senior Member SunM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Cert 2 & 4 are being dropped, the new Cert 3 will be more practical related and less tree science related subjects as it was before. Cert 5 is consultation level, you want to have the Cert 3 before doing that, or at the very least Cert 3 Horticulture, Cert 5 is full on. I've just finish my Cert 3 last year, its a 2.5 year course 1 full day a week, Arbortrim offers a 9 month cut down course. It would make life much easier if you can do a couple of days a week on a tree crew while doing the course, its setup more as an apprenticeship type course, thats why its 1 day a week.
    Cert III Arborist

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    Senior Member Kathryn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    before you spend heaps of time deciding for yourself what course to do. ask your tafe where they would place you. from what sunm putthings are changing but normally cert II is entry level. normally even with past experience they will want you tio atleast rpl cert II or III first. so go talk to the training fellas and they will set you on the right path. thats their job

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    Member Vic TomS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Thanks for your help fellas.

    I went along to a day of the cert III.. a morning of braindead OH&S and an afternoon of tree ID with a roomfull of 16 yearolds with ADHD and no interest in the material. Glad I didn't pay up before I went along!


    I have enrolled for the next chainsaw course.. its several days but doesn't cover felling, just crosscut. I've been using the damn thing for 30 years, I don't know what they will do for all that time!

    I don't think this course gives me a tick, as such though. anyone know about this?

    Tom
    Tom

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    Senior Member Bgs's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    I did a cert II in horticulture Nursery I did it full time and it took 6 months I had a very similar class as you alot of young kids that had to be there to collect centerlink, they were pretty disruptive but most had dropped out after the first two months and it was very enjoyable from then on.

    I did it in 2000 back then you could do the chainsaw course of a couple of days and I believe you got a chainsaw ticket.

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    Senior Member 4 Gardens's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    I studied a couple of years ago but did the night classes - I think the peopel want to be there as opposed to the young ones during the day

  11. #11
    Senior Member Wyadra's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    I completed a cert 3 in Landscape last year, thought about doing cert 5 arb. as I make most of my good money from doing trees. Decided against it and am going to study a diploma of design. Like you I am 47 and eventually want to use my brain to make money. If I was to expand the business more along the tree removal direction I would just hire a sub-contractor and then if you want you can learn all you want from him. Even still, on the last big tree I did, the guy who helped me out has been running a fairly large landscaping business and said his arborist can do the job in half the time and twice as safe.

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    Senior Member SunM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Quote Originally Posted by TomSizer View Post
    Thanks for your help fellas.

    I went along to a day of the cert III.. a morning of braindead OH&S and an afternoon of tree ID with a roomfull of 16 yearolds with ADHD and no interest in the material. Glad I didn't pay up before I went along!


    I have enrolled for the next chainsaw course.. its several days but doesn't cover felling, just crosscut. I've been using the damn thing for 30 years, I don't know what they will do for all that time!

    I don't think this course gives me a tick, as such though. anyone know about this?

    Tom
    Tom
    That chainsaw course is basic operation and maintenance, it shouldn't go for more than a day. If you are serious about about a Cert 2/3 in Arb then stick with it, you can't do a basic chainsaw course and call yourself an Arborist. OHS is an important part of Arb, just like everything else within the course. If you want to safely and efficiently do trees, stick with the course and deal with the 16 year olds, there should be a couple of older guys in the class. There are a few places that offer Cert 2/3, I'd check them out before giving up.
    Cert III Arborist

  13. #13
    Dedicated Member Cranbourne Lawnmowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Quote Originally Posted by SunM View Post
    That chainsaw course is basic operation and maintenance, it shouldn't go for more than a day. If you are serious about about a Cert 2/3 in Arb then stick with it, you can't do a basic chainsaw course and call yourself an Arborist. OHS is an important part of Arb, just like everything else within the course. If you want to safely and efficiently do trees, stick with the course and deal with the 16 year olds, there should be a couple of older guys in the class. There are a few places that offer Cert 2/3, I'd check them out before giving up.
    Would you need the cert 2/3 to get the insurance for tree work over 5 mtrs? I really enjoy doing tree lopping and have done jobs up to 15 mtrs by myself but only if I think I can safely do it which can be a problem in itself without proper education on the subject.

    I can still climb a tree like a ten year old and love doing tree removal work so would like to be able to safely and legally be able to do work up to even 15 mtrs. If getting qualifications mean I can go even higher then all the better.

  14. #14
    Member Andy B's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Probably need to have chainsaw and more arborist training than hort cert. You like many others should of done cert 3 with us last year!

  15. #15
    Dedicated Member Cranbourne Lawnmowing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cert 11/111 Hort(Arborculture) Whatdoyoureckon?

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy B View Post
    Probably need to have chainsaw and more arborist training than hort cert. You like many others should of done cert 3 with us last year!
    I have kicked myself a dozen times for not giving it a go when I was given the option, but I didn't feel that I had enough knowledge on plant id etc so thought I would be wasting my time. Only realized how much I have learnt from on the job experiance lately, as I have taken on more gardening jobs again.

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