Recently, having to provide some details in order to have my business card printed and coming across the above made me wonder on what credentials should practitioners in the green industry sign off with and under what circumstances. The office administrator advised me not to include memberships but qualifications like degrees. I would explore some of them that I come across below. An often mentioned acronym is "ISA", which refers to The International Society of Arboriculture an international non-profit organization headquartered in USA. Its mission statement: "Through research, technology, and education promote the professional practice of arboriculture and foster a greater public awareness of the benefits of trees." The organisation has more than 22,000 members (from Wikipedia), from all over the world with the exception of Middle East and Africa.
In general, certifications could be verified with their accreditation bodies using the Cert. ID or number of an individual. However, qualifications does not come with a Cert. ID.
Principal/Practising/Lead/Consulting/Staff Arborist
Usually someone who practices as an arborist in the tree/arboriculture industry but just about anyone can call themselves the above as there is no accreditation body to govern the use of those titles.
Certified Arborist
The ISA certifies an individual's knowledge in arboriculture and hence such an individual may name themselves a Certified Arborist (CA). The Certified Arborist programme refreshes learners with skills for tree inspection and knowledge to mitigate potential failure. To qualify for the programme, a candidate must have the one of the following
Education Practical experience
4 years honours degree in Arboriculture or equivalent 1 year
3 years degree in Arboriculture or equivalent 2 years
2 years degree in Arboriculture or equivalent 2 years
Diploma in arboriculture or equivalent 2 years
No qualification 3 years
The programme is 80 hours of training over 11 days. The course is facilitated by CUGE (a division under National Parks Board), which is a CET institute conferred by Workforce Development Authority (WDA).
The certification would last for 3 years, and in order to be re-certified, the CA have to undergo courses/workshops/seminars to accumulate Continuing Education Units (CEUs) of 30 points by the end of the 3 years period. Some seminars that is an hour to half a day may give 1 point, whereas some courses that runs over 3 days may give 10 points. The arborist may also purchase books and undertake online course from the ISA website to gain CEUs. These avenues from which to acquire CEU points are often not free.
There are close to 500 CAs in Singapore at the time of writing, roughly half of which are in National Parks Board, other government institutes, and government-linked companies.
Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ)/ Tree Risk Assessor
Appliants to this programme must be a Certified Arborist, amongst many other arboriculture certifications. The course would impart to candidates a process and techniques for the assessment of tree risk over 2 days of training and half day assessment.
This qualification lasts for 5 years and could only be renewed by going through the course again and passing the assessment. CEUs points earned could not go towards the renewal of this qualification, but certified arborist would be awarded 14 CEUs for attending this course.
There are 84 TRAQ holders as at the time of writing, 24 of which are not of NParks.
Certified Arborist/Municipal Specialist qualification
In order to qualify for the Municipal Specialist qualification, the applicant have to a Certified Arborist in the first place. The programme focuses on 6 domains as follows: communication skills, public relations, administration, risk management, arboricultural practices, and policy planning in a municipal setting. However, this qualification seemed to have to advantage for private industry players but more suitable for public servants. A municipality may encompass a "city, town or village" but the term is not used in Singapore.
This qualification lasts for 3 years and could be renewed by gaining 42 CEU points over that 3 years or retaking the exam. Of the 42 CEU points, 30 CEUs are for the CA credential, and 12 CEUs are for the Muicipal Specialist qualification.
As at the time of writing, there are 24 CA/Municipal Specialists, of which only 3 are in the private sector.
Board Certified Master Arborist
This is the highest level of certification in arboriculture offered by the ISA. The exam covers every aspect of arboriculture other than consulting, in the 19 domains as follows.
SCIENCE: Abiotic, biotic influences. Biology and ecology. Diagnostic process and tools. Plant taxonomy and attributes. Soil science.
PRACTICE: Tree climbing techniques and equipment. Plant health care. Water management. Pruning techniques. Fertiliser, pesticide and other biological treatments. Support, guying and lightning protection.
MANAGEMENT: Business relation and operations. Inventory and management plan. Risk assessment and mitigation. Safety practices, tools and equipment. Tree protection guidelines and migitation.
Pre-requisite for entry into the programme depends on a points system, to be obtained by being accredited/certified with the ISA certification program, having tertiary education in arboriculture or related fields, and other arborist credentials. This certification is valid for 3 years and could be renewed by accumulating 60 CEU points that are related to the 19 domains in the exam.
There is only 1 BCMA in Singapore as at the time of writing. Among all ISA Certified Arborists (worldwide), less than 2 percent are BCMA, which is more than the 0.2 percent in Singapore.
Certified Practising Horticulturist
To qualify for the Certified Practising Horticulturist programme, the candidate would need to have a degree or diploma in horticulture or a related discipline, or WSQ diploma or advanced certificate in Parks Reserves and Gardens. And with at least 5 years of relevant working experience in the industry.
The programme consists of 13 days training and if successful with the assessment and report submission, candidates would be registered as Certified Practising Horticulturist accredited with the Australian Institute of Horticulture. The certification is valid for 3 years and during which the CPH have to undergo courses/workshops/seminars to accumulate Continuing Education Units (CEUs) of 30 points, in order to be re-certified.
In addition to courses/workshops/seminars, CEUs for CPH may also be earned through studying in a tertiary programme, study tours, lecturing/teaching, presenting/submission of papers, committee work and reading.
There are close to 200 CPH in Singapore at the time of writing.
Certified Parks Manager
The Certified Parks Manager programme seemed to be suspended as there is no new runs since 2015. CPM are accredited with the Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) and the programme seeks to refresh park managers' knowledge in park management and planning, share best practices in park operations and confer skills in communication with the public and media. The training takes place over 15 days and half day for exam and report submission, which is a minimum 2000-word Park Operations Report.
In Singapore there are over 100 members, of which about a quarter are not NParks personnel, as at the time of writing. In addition, this certification does not come with a Cert. number, and hence one could not verify if an individual holds this credential. However, the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE) website holds a record of CPM in Singapore.
ISA Local Chapters and associate organisations
Local chapters and associate organisations are like industry groups that is focused on the local context, and they serve as a platform to exchange knowledge, skills and ideas, and sometimes organise regional tree climbing competitions.
The Singapore Arboriculture Society (SAS) is such an associate organisation. They have 57 Certified Arborists on board as of year 2014, which is slightly over 15 percent of CAs in Singapore (and incidentally a member count that could see them convert to a Local Chapter). Membership with the SAS could be subscribed at $20-80 depending on the type. Only "professional members" could vote during annual general meetings (AGM). The latest iteration of the tree climbing competition is the "Singapore Tree Climbing Championships (STCC)" to be held on 22-24 September 2016.
They publish an e-magazine named TropicalArb, with the first issue on July 2013 and second issue on May 2014. The third issue is not forthcoming as of Aug 2016.
Being ISA certified does not mean being an ISA member. Being a member of the local chapter or associate organization, and an ISA member (the international organisation as opposed to the local one) and would entitle one to receive a discount on recertification fees, however membership is not free. In this sense, membership subscription functions more like a discount or loyalty scheme. Being an ISA member would entitle one to purchase books and courses at a discount.
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