Job Description

Arborist

Location: Folsom, CA
Salary: $82,539.48 - $104,558.55 Annually

Anchored in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada - 20 miles east of Sacramento and about 1.5 hours from Lake Tahoe - the City of Folsom is comprised of beautiful parks and trails, and boasts excellent schools, family-orientated neighborhoods, and outstanding shopping, dining, and cultural options. Folsom is a high-tech, forward-looking city, with firms ranging from small to large international corporations. Voted by WalletHub as the Best Place for Families to Live in California, and 2nd Best Lake Town in America, Folsom is recognized for its affordability, fair weather, education, and health. Folsom’s schools were recognized among the best in Sacramento County. Niche recently released its list of the Best in America for 2025, and Folsom swept the honors with seven elementary, two middle, and two high schools making the list.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The  Community Development Department is currently hiring one (1)  Arborist to assist the city’s Urban Forester to champion the continued health and sustainability of Folsom’s urban forest, ensuring it remains a vibrant asset that enriches our community. A key responsibility of this position will be to administer the City’s tree permit policies and act as an enforcement body of the City’s comprehensive Tree Preservation Ordinance, safeguarding the preservation and promoting the planting of trees across both new developments and existing land uses. 

Under the direction of the  Urban Forester , the Arborist will administer the city’s tree permit policies and assist with the review of development projects for compliance with applicable city regulations to ensure an environmentally appropriate and sustainable community forest. Incumbents may provide technical expertise to citizens and other city departments and may also oversee, monitor, and/or direct the work of lower level personnel.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Arborist is a singular classification that serves as a specialist while enforcing permit policies and assisting with ensuring developmental construction compliance with the city's environmental regulations. This classification is distinguished from the Urban Forrester in that the latter serves as the supervisor and requires a higher-level of professional skill and knowledge in administering and evaluating complex programs, services, and projects. 

This is a non-exempt position and part of the Local 39 IUOE.

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT TIMELINE:

1st Round Oral Board Interviews - Week of June 30th

Final Department Interview - Week of July 7th  

Examples of Essential Duties

NOTE: The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all the duties listed.

• Review, process, and issue tree work and tree removal permits; evaluate arborist reports and draft conditions of permit approval.
• Review landscape and construction plans for residential and commercial development to ensure compliance with applicable city, state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.
• Perform field inspections on public and private properties and new construction sites to ensure compliance with approved plans and permits.
• Inspect trees on public and private properties to verify location and determine condition, required maintenance, and suitability for preservation; inspect plant materials to ensure quality.
• Make recommendations to public and private entities regarding tree preservation techniques and landscape design.
• Plan and oversee the work of employees in tree planting, removal, and maintenance activities.
• Respond to citizens' inquiries and requests relative to tree services on private property and to determine tree permit requirements.
• Confer with arborists, contractors, developers, and the public on city standards for tree planting and maintenance.
• Assist in developing policies and specifications for tree preservation and landscape-related issues.
• Make presentations to committees, commissions, or groups, including the City Council.
• Issue citations for violations of applicable city, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Employment Standards

NOTE:  The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the "Examples of Essential Duties" section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Chemical and biological measures used in tree pests/disease control work.
• Dendrology and plant physiology.
• Principles of horticulture, forestry, and arboriculture.
• Basic landscape architecture and construction.
• Standard practices, equipment, and tools used in tree maintenance work.
• Tree plant identification including: genus, species and cultivars.
• Tree risk and structure assessment.
• California's Model Water Efficiencies Landscape Ordinance (MWELO).
• Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS).
• Common word processing, spreadsheet, and database software

Ability to:

• Provide scientific and technical advice and assistance on problems relating to tree services activities.
• Oversee, monitor, and direct the work of other employees.
• Maintain records and learn electronic permitting and plan checking systems.
• Effectively communicate verbally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and the general public.
• Interpret grading, civil, planting, irrigation and construction drawings and detect deviations from plans and regulations in the field.
• Maintain a certification with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
A bachelor's degree in arboriculture, forestry, horticulture, entomology, landscape architecture, plant pathology, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university.

Experience:
Three (3) years of full-time experience in work involving tree pest/disease control, tree planting, preservation, and maintenance, and/or landscape design/construction activities.

Substitution:
Additional years of relevant work experience may be substituted for required education on a year-for-year basis.

License, Certificate, Registration Requirements:

• Possession of, or ability to obtain and retain, a California Class C driver license by the time of appointment. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Possession of an ISA Arborist certification.

Physical Requirements:
Work is frequently performed in an office setting and occasionally in an outdoor environment.  (1) Mobility:  frequent use of keyboard; frequent sitting; occasional standing, walking, climbing, bending; occasional driving of vehicles.  (2) Lifting:  occasional lifting up to 10 pounds.  (3) Vision:  constant use of overall vision; color vision necessary. (4) Dexterity: occasional grasping, holding, and reaching.  (5) Hearing/Talking:  frequent hearing and talking in person and via telephone.  (6) Emotional/Psychological:  frequent coworker and public contact; occasional working alone.  (7) Environmental:  occasional exposure to loud noise; occasional exposure to chemicals, fumes, and other environmental substances.

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, For contractors, Work experience placement, Local area, Outdoor, Work visa, Work alone, Currently hiring,

Similar Jobs