Like the many different kinds of physicians who work in a hospital, there are many different kinds of horticultural professionals who specialize in particular disciplines. Although too commonly considered to be ‘landscapers’, and even though many do not work directly with landscapes, there are nurserymen, gardeners, landscape architects, horticulturists and arborists, to name a few.

Arborists specialize in the horticulture of trees. Only a few decades ago, arborists were known as tree surgeons, since they perform surgery on trees. Of all the horticultural physicians that attend to concerns in the landscape, arborists and their associated technicians are the most qualified to properly maintain trees.

Expecting a gardener to maintain large mature trees is like expecting a pediatrician to perform major surgery. Even the most proficient and educated gardeners are too specialized with maintaining other plant material in the garden to also be specialized with arboriculture, or the horticulture of trees.

Arborists who are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, or ISA, have successfully passed and examination of their arboricultural aptitude. Certification must be maintained by attendance to educational seminars, workshops and other relevant events approved by the ISA.

The website of the International Society of Arboriculture, or ISA, at www.isaarbor.com, is the best resource for finding certified arborists and the tree service establishments that they are affiliated with. Arborists can be found within particular regions by city or ZIP code, or identified directly by name or certification number.

The ‘Public Outreach’ category at the ISA website features links to www.TreesAreGood.org, and ‘Why hire an arborist?’, as well as a few other links for consumers. After all, the website exists not only for professionals, but also to help consumers find professionals and to make responsible decisions about their trees, from the time they get planted, throughout their lifetime, and until they get old and eventually need to be removed.

The www.TreesAreGood.org link has all sorts of information about trees and their maintenance. There are many and various articles about the benefits of trees, the value of trees, tree selection, planting new trees, proper pruning techniques, insects and diseases, tree hazards, why topping hurts trees, and even an article about palms. Incidentally, the Fun Facts link mentions that the tallest tree is the coastal redwood, the biggest tree is the giant redwood, and oldest tree is the bristlecone pine, all of which are native to California.

Trees are of course the most substantial components of a landscape. Some will be around for years. Some will be around for more than a century!