\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"MATT](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4485942_web1_249311-ARBORIST5-MG.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
MATT GOERTZEN \/ THE BRANDON SUN FILES<\/p>\n
The official status of Arboriculture as a trade will open up opportunities for mentorship, support and professional development.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Manitoba arboriculture kind of fell between some other trades, so it was kind of lumped in together with landscaping,\u201d said Nick Stewart, a committee member of the Manitoba Urban Forest Council. \u201cSo the industry was quite fragmented.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officially designating trades is driven by industry demand, so in 2019 a group formed the Manitoba Urban Forestry Council to call for the province to recognize arboriculture.<\/p>\n
Recognizing arborists for their trade will increase safety in the profession through a set of standardized requirements for schooling and training, as is the case for mechanics, plumbers and electricians, among others, Stewart said.<\/p>\n
The province recognizes 54 designated trades.<\/p>\n
The City of Winnipeg\u2019s push to increase its urban tree canopy, as well as disease and pests such as Dutch elm disease and the emerald ash borer has increased the demand for arborists in the province and created a labour shortage.<\/p>\n
Stewart, who is also the president of Green Drop Lawn Care and has 15 years experience as an arborist, is hopeful the new designation will attract labour to the province and pique the interest of graduating high school students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of kids coming out of high school who are interested in this sort of thing and know they like working outside, but there\u2019s not really a path for it, so this now helps that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The recognition is only the first step in a lengthy process before a course can be taught at trade schools. Apprenticeship Manitoba must now begin the legislative process required to add arborist to Manitoba\u2019s apprenticeship and certification regulations, which will then be followed by the development occupational standards, technical training and certification examinations.<\/p>\n
The process is expected to take at least two years.<\/p>\n
The designation also creates an opportunity to align the provincial trade with the development of a potential Red Seal designation for arboriculture, but a nationwide designation would also take work, since the trade designation for arboriculture has different requirements in each province where it\u2019s recognized.<\/p>\n
Arboriculture will be a voluntary trade and taking courses won\u2019t necessarily be needed to get a job as an arborist in Manitoba, but academics say offering the courses provides a hyper-local understanding of tree health issues that current international certification doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of kids coming out of high school who are interested in this sort of thing and know they like working outside, but there\u2019s not really a path for it, so this now helps that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander Martin, a PhD student at the University of Oxford who is from Winnipeg and a certified arborist, recently published a research paper on the state of professional regulations for arborists across Canada and found that while Manitoba has some of the strongest legislation across Canada when it comes to who can practise as an arborist, having training that focuses on local trees and their risks will better protect the urban tree canopy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have those health and safety components coming in through both the schooling and the on-the-job training that you might not get without the provincial trade designation,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Some trades also require a continuing education element to maintain certification in the industry, which Martin said would be valuable for arborists, considering the changing nature of urban forestry due to climate change.<\/p>\n
Jamie Moses, the provincial minister of business, mining, trade and job creation, said the designation reflects the \u201cstrong support we have received from employers, municipalities, educational institutions, and industry organizations across the province.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arborists from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta will be at Kildonan Park this weekend for the 36th annual International Society of Arboriculture prairie chapter\u2019s tree-climbing competition.<\/p>\n
Participants will compete in various events involving tree climbing, aerial rescue, rope and equipment handling, movement through the tree canopy, safety and technical skill. The highest-scoring competitors will advance to the masters\u2019 challenge, and the top male and female climbers will have the opportunity to represent the prairie chapter at the ISA International Tree Climbing Championship in Belgium in 2027.<\/p>\n
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Nicole Buffie Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College\u2019s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Multimedia producer
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n