Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Tree Trimmers and Pruners
Occupation · SOC 37-3013.00
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
Also called: Arborist · Groundsman · Tree Climber · Tree Trimmer · Climber · Grounds Worker · Laborer · Plant Health Care Technician · Trimmer · Brush Clearing Laborer · Bucket Operator · Bucket Truck Operator
Job family: Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-37-3013-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- About average employment outlook (+3.3% by 2034)
- 7,400 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $50,430/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (62nd); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (3rd)
3rd-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,400 openings a year (+3.3% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 3rd | -1.7 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 10th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 5th | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 62nd percentile among occupations · Moderate
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Provide information to the public regarding trees, such as advice on tree care. | 1.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | About average · +3.3% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 7,400 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 60,100 → 62,100 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Tree Trimmers and Pruners sits at the 30th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
18% mean task exposure (2025)
30th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Gardeners, Horticultural and Nursery Growers · 6113 | 18% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines. Core · importance 4.4
- Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools. Core · importance 4.4
- Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment. Core · importance 4.3
- Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers. Core · importance 4.3
- Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle. Core · importance 4.3
- Climb trees, using climbing hooks and belts, or climb ladders to gain access to work areas. Core · importance 4.1
- Supervise others engaged in tree trimming work and train lower-level employees. Core · importance 4.1
- Plan and develop budgets for tree work, and estimate the monetary value of trees. Supplemental · importance 4.1
- Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches. Core · importance 4.1
- Inspect trees to determine if they have diseases or pest problems. Core · importance 4.0
- Load debris and refuse onto trucks and haul it away for disposal. Core · importance 4.0
- Prune, cut down, fertilize, and spray trees as directed by tree surgeons. Supplemental · importance 4.0
- Provide information to the public regarding trees, such as advice on tree care. Core · importance 3.9
- Trim jagged stumps, using saws or pruning shears. Core · importance 3.9
- Clear sites, streets, and grounds of woody and herbaceous materials, such as tree stumps and fallen trees and limbs. Core · importance 3.8
- Collect debris and refuse from tree trimming and removal operations into piles, using shovels, rakes, or other tools. Core · importance 3.8
- Remove broken limbs from wires, using hooked extension poles. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Water, root-feed, and fertilize trees. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Cable, brace, tie, bolt, stake, and guy trees and branches to provide support. Core · importance 3.4
- Scrape decayed matter from cavities in trees and fill holes with cement to promote healing and to prevent further deterioration. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Spray trees to treat diseased or unhealthy trees, including mixing chemicals and calibrating spray equipment. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Apply tar or other protective substances to cut surfaces or seal surfaces and to protect them from fungi and insects. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Transplant and remove trees and shrubs, and prepare trees for moving. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Split logs or wooden blocks into bolts, pickets, posts, or stakes, using hand tools such as ax wedges, sledgehammers, and mallets. Supplemental · importance 2.5
- Harvest tanbark by cutting rings and slits in bark and stripping bark from trees, using spuds or axes. Supplemental
- Install lightning protection on trees. Supplemental
Work activities
- Instruct staff in work policies or procedures.
- Supervise maintenance workers.
- Operate grounds maintenance equipment.
- Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
- Climb ladders or vehicles to perform duties.
- Clean equipment or supplies.
- Trim trees or other vegetation.
- Treat greenery or surfaces with protective substances.
- Remove debris from work sites.
- Inspect landscaping to determine treatment needs.
- Install equipment to protect or support trees.
- Provide information about landscaping services or costs.
- Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance.
- Prepare chemicals for work application.
- Estimate maintenance service requirements or costs.
- Irrigate lawns, trees, or plants.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Abilities
| Control Precision | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.9 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.9 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.9 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.9 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.8 | |
| Static Strength | 3.8 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.5 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.4 | |
| Dynamic Strength | 3.4 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Stamina | 3.3 | |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 3.3 | |
| Far Vision | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Visualization | 3.1 | |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.1 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.1 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 | |
| Spatial Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Rate Control | 3.0 | |
| Gross Body Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.6 | |
| Mechanical | 3.3 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Web page creation and editing software | Hot technology | |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Less than a High School Diploma | 56.8% | |
| High School Diploma | 37.1% | |
| Some College Courses | 3.8% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.2% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 3.1 | |
| Investigative | 2.1 | |
| Social | 1.8 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 6.6 | |
| Nature/Outdoors | 5.4 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 3.8 | |
| Agriculture | 2.6 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 2.0 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 1.9 | |
| Management/Administration | 1.6 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.5 | |
| Perseverance | 2.0 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 1.8 | |
| Attention to Detail | 1.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $37,660 |
| 25th percentile | $43,690 |
| Median (50th) | $50,430 |
| 75th percentile | $63,130 |
| 90th percentile | $78,900 |
| People employed | 47,870 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 42,980 | $49,820 |
| Landscaping Services · National industry | 42,380 | $49,920 |
| Utilities · Sector | 970 | $60,780 |
| Construction · Sector | 470 | $52,490 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 250 | $31,140 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 180 | $55,930 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 130 | $54,290 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting · Sector | 90 | $52,240 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector | 70 | $50,350 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 40 | $74,810 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | — | $77,580 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | — | $46,560 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaping Services · National industry | 149.16× | 42,380 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 15.33× | 42,980 |
| Utilities · Sector | 5.39× | 970 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 2.48× | 180 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.3× | 250 |
| Construction · Sector | 0.19× | 470 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.03× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Hospitality, Events, & Tourism career cluster.
- Fallers · 45-4021.00 Compare →
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers · 37-3011.00 Compare →
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation · 37-3012.00 Compare →
- Forest and Conservation Workers · 45-4011.00 Compare →
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse · 45-2092.00 Compare →
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators · 47-2073.00 Compare →
- Agricultural Equipment Operators · 45-2091.00 Compare →
- Construction Laborers · 47-2061.00 Compare →
- Logging Equipment Operators · 45-4022.00 Compare →
- Highway Maintenance Workers · 47-4051.00 Compare →
- Helpers--Extraction Workers · 47-5081.00 Compare →
- Hoist and Winch Operators · 53-7041.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Tree Trimmers and Pruners — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 30th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Tree Trimmers and Pruners show 3rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,400 annual U.S. openings
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners rank in the 3rd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 7,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.3%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $50,430, across about 47,870 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Tree Trimmers and Pruners show 3rd-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,400 annual U.S. openings • Tree Trimmers and Pruners rank in the 3rd percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 7,400 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.3%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $50,430, across about 47,870 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Tree Trimmers and Pruners". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-3013-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Tree Trimmers and Pruners." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-3013-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Tree Trimmers and Pruners. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-3013-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-37-3013-00,
title = {Tree Trimmers and Pruners},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-37-3013-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.