I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dave, a certified arborist working in the Victoria, British Columbia area, very briefly in a coffee shop after we bumped into each other. I could tell he was an arborist because of his work van outside, and he agreed to the 10 minute interview after I told him that many people around Canada are curious to know what it’s like being an arborist in a part of the world where there are so many gorgeous trees (Victoria really has way more trees than much of Canada).
My first question went straight to business: “On my blog I advocate for learning from professionals. I don’t want to listen to a banker about baseball or a badger about baboons (I say this a lot in my private DMs). I want to hear about baseball from baseball players not fans. With that spirit in mind, what can you tell us about being an arborist in Victoria BC that other arborists across Canada might not know.”
(To see the referenced article where I advocate for learning from professionals, visit here.)
Dave the arborist gave his response: “Garry oaks, which are native to BC, grow better in urban areas when you let the leaves stay on the ground but locals here never listen to me or tolerate that. I learned a trick to make them listen though. Letting your leaves stay on the ground saves you money and time! Works like a charm.” *he chuckles*
My next question was much more specific: “In 2024, Victoria BC was even labeled “the most sustainable destination in North America” by the the GDSI. “I paused to show Dave the Times Colonist article on my phone, and continued, “You’ve obviously met a lot of local residents who need tree work done, so what are your insights into why Victoria remains so green and conscious of sustainability?”
Sipping his coffee, looking at trees through the window that he very well might’ve trimmed that morning for all I knew, he said, “I think many Victoria locals have a sense of pride that almost comes inherently with living in such a beautiful place. When you have spectacular nature around you everywhere you look” – he pointed at the trees by his van through the coffee shop window – “you get filled with a sense of duty to take care of it, and pride comes with following that calling.”
“Great answer!” I said. “One more question before you go, Dave. This is a personal question for me. I never really understood the full definition of what an arborist is. I think an arborist who has worked in a place with so many trees would have a unique description of what you do every day. Also is there any real difference between an arborist and a tree trimmer or someone who does simple tree maintenance like cutting and pruning?”
Really, I wasn’t lying when I asked this question. When I just want some bushes trimmed and my trees pruned in the front yard, I think of tree service Victoria BC, but when I also want to get my trees assessed for fungus or rot I think specifically of an “arborist”. These two things usually lead me to calling the same company, but I never understood that difference I’d made out in my mind and where it came from, as there are many companies that label themselves as “Tree Service Companies” but they also don’t mention anything about being “Arborists” in their marketing material. You can see how this confused me, but Dave did a great job clearing up that confusion.
Dave spoke quickly, rising toward the door with his half-full coffee: “What a question to finish with. Um (it was a long ummmmm), where should I start?”
“I don’t know.” We laughed together.
“Well the only real difference between an arborist and any worker that maintains trees is that an arborist typically has higher training and some form of certification to prove it. That’s how you know you an trust them to assess your trees accurately. But you can higher any laborer on Used Victoria or Facebook Marketplace and they’ll cut your trees no problem even if they haven’t gone to Vancouver Island University to get their ISA certificate. I got mine years ago.”
“Wow,” I said. “So it wasn’t a coincidence that I thought arborists were just more specialized in treating tree health problems. That makes perfect sense! They are just literally certified, but a tree service worker who does the labor of cutting and tree removal doesn’t have to be certified.”
“That’s right, and I’ll leave you with one more thing you may not know. You don’t need to hire an arborist to get your simple trimming and pruning done. Landscapers who aren’t often certified arborists can do a lot of the same work for cheaper, because they’re usually cutting grass but have the ladders and tools to prune trees as well, depending on the nature of the work of course. They won’t be able to trim super tall ones, more so hedges and shorter fruit trees. I recommend this to customers who call me price hunting.”
I thought that extra bit of information was really helpful and will have to remember that to save money on my own property. Now, you, dear reader, before you go I want to tell you that I go to this same coffee shop several times a week, so if you have more questions you want to ask Dave let me know because I might see him again. Thanks, Dave!