What is Arboriculture?

The science and practice of the cultivation, establishment and management of amenity trees for the benefit of society.

Arboriculture refers to the care of trees grown or maintained for their amenity value – for the environmental, social and economic benefits that they bring – rather than for the value of their timber or fruit. It also involves tree safety and tree risk management, as many of the trees looked after by arboricultural professionals can be found in close proximity to people.

There are many different roles and careers in arboriculture. This includes nursery workers, groundspeople, tree surgeons, tree officers, consultants, researchers, trainers, policymakers and more. 

There are close connections and links between arboriculture and other tree-related and environmental professions and disciplines such as woodland management, forestry and horticulture. However, despite some overlaps arboriculture is a profession in its own right, distinct in many ways from these other sectors.