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ISA Certified Arborist Preparation Course – Course Programme

What is the ISA Certified Arborist?

From the ISA themselves:

“The ISA Certified Arborist designation sets you apart as someone with the commitment, dedication, and knowledge to succeed. The ISA’s most popular credential, the ISA Certified Arborist program is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) for meeting or exceeding ISO 17024 standards for certification bodies. To earn an ISA Certified Arborist credential, you must be trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of arboriculture. ISA Certified Arborists must also adhere to the Code of Ethics that strengthens the credibility and reliability of the workforce. This certification covers a large number of topics giving the candidates flexibility in the arboricultural profession.”

For more information on how to become an ISA Certified Arborist including the registration, application guide, exam information and the Code of Ethics, please visit International Society of Arboriculture > Credentials > Types of Credentials > ISA Certified Arborist

 

 

How do I register with the ISA and book the exam, and what are the ISA’s eligibility criteria?

Please visit International Society of Arboriculture > Credentials > Types of Credentials > ISA Certified Arborist

to find the ISA’s Certified Arborist Application Guide and information on the options for meeting the eligibility
criteria. You must read this carefully before applying to Tree Life’s Exam Preparation Course, as these are the
requirements set by the ISA for application for the ISA Certified Arborist® Exam.

 

What is Tree Life's ISA Certified Arborist Preparation Course?

For all information on this preparation course, please click here for our Information Booklet for this course. 

  • Course Delivery:  The course will be delivered Online, over a total of 6 days, on set Tuesdays.
  • Period of Study: Starting 27th January 2026 (Further dates below)  
  • Course Times: 10am-12noon and 2-4pm each day, with one break from 12noon-2pm.
  • Cost of Course: £950 + VAT per learner
  • Learner’s responsibility for the course: Purchase a 4th Edition ISA Study Guide, register with the ISA for the exam, complete their application and entry for the exam with the ISA.
  • This course will take place through Microsoft Teams: learners are expected to be able to join a Teams video call on each of the dates given below. A Teams invitation will be sent to the email provided in the application form.

Microsoft Teams is free and is available on PC, Mac, Android and iOS

Microsoft Teams App

Microsoft Teams Web

Please note that this course will be recorded for internal purposes only, the recordings will not be made available afterwards as this is intended to be a live course. 

short-courses

Course Notes:

Please note that although the timetabled sessions will provide as much guidance as time permits, a great deal of the learning will take place between those sessions and will remain the responsibility of each individual learner. The ‘Certified Arborist’ was devised initially as a qualification to be achieved through self-study, and that underpinning principle still very much applies. Access to the published ‘Study Guide’ (Currently 4th Edition) will be an essential part of the process.

Much of the required information for the practical elements will in fact come from the learners’ own work experience; the six sessions will concentrate on underlying theory rather than practice. The qualification is awarded after successful completion of the exam set by the ISA: it will be the learners’ responsibility to enter themselves for and meet the costs of that examination. Online Homework questions will be available on the Learner Portal following each session; learners are expected to attempt these in between each session. The homework questions remain open throughout the course to enable learners to use these as part of their self-guided revision, and these can be re-taken as many times as a learner wishes. 

The qualification is awarded after successful completion of the exam set by the ISA: it will be the learners’
responsibility to enter themselves for and meet the costs of that examination. This course does not include the
exam and Tree Life cannot book the exam or complete any part of the ISA process for the learner.

The intended sequence for the six sessions is as follows:

  1. Tree Biology and Tree identification - 27th January 2026
  2. Soil Science and Water Management - 10th February 2026
  3. Tree Nutrition and Fertilisation | Tree Selection and | Installation and Establishment - 24th February 2026
  4. Diagnosis and Plant Disorders | Plant Health Care | Tree Risk Assessment and Management - 10th March 2026
  5. Trees and Construction | Urban Forestry - 24th March 2026
  6. Pruning | Tree Support and Lightning Protection | Tree Worker Safety | Climbing and Working in Trees - 14th May 2025

 

For all information on this preparation course, please click here for our Information Booklet for this course.  Please call 0116 260 6939 or email us for further advice and details!