The City of Madison Streets and Urban Forestry Division is looking for its next Arborists! The successful candidates will perform skilled manual work involving the care and maintenance of City trees within proper safety guidelines. The work includes pruning, insect/disease treatment, technical tree removal; the preparation and planting of new trees; and the maintenance of related equipment. Work is performed under the general leadership of an Arborist 2 with overall supervision received from a Forestry Foreperson.

The current recruitment is to fill two (2) vacant positions. This recruitment will create an eligible list that will be used to fill additional Arborist 1 positions that may become vacant in the next six (6) months

The designation of Arborist Trainee (starting annual salary is $58,405.88) will be given to an employee who does not possess technical tree climbing skills with ropes and harness or who otherwise lacks all minimum qualifications for the Arborist 1 classification.

An employee with technical tree climbing skills using ropes and harness and who possesses all of the minimum qualifications for the Arborist 1 classification will be hired as an Arborist 1 (starting annual salary is $63,871.08); to be determined at the time of hire.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities:

*Prune and remove trees in the public right of way and on other City properties and perform other tasks related to the care and treatment of city trees

*Conduct related inspections and identify and treat diseases, tree injuries, and infestations:

*Pickup, prepare, and plant new trees in the public right of way, and other City-owned properties

*Perform related work as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

Two (2) years of responsible experience in tree pruning and related tree care activities which involved significant experience in operating specialized tree trimming/pruning equipment.

-OR-

Two (2) years applying the following:

• Tree identification, tree care, and the methods, techniques, and equipment used in pruning, insect and disease management, planting, and removal of trees.
• Equipment and techniques necessary to perform the work safely.
• Climbing trees and/or working with equipment at varying heights and angles.

Familiarity with the following:

• Tree insects and diseases.
• Computers and computer software applicable to the duties of the position.

To be considered at the Arborist 1 level, a candidate will need to demonstrate their technical tree climbing abilities with the use of ropes and harness.

The City of Madison strives to provide exceptional customer service to all its residents and visitors. Therefore, successful candidates will have demonstrated ability to effectively work with multicultural communities.

For a complete list of the knowledge, skills and abilities, please view the Arborist 1 classification specification.

Special Requirements

• Possession of a valid Class B Wisconsin Commercial Driver's License with N (tanker) endorsement. The successful candidate must have passed the written portion of the relevant Department of Transportation testing process before starting employment. A condition of continued employment is passage of the skills portion of the test and obtaining the required operator's license by the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Certification in CPR and first aid or the ability to obtain certification within the probationary/trial period.
• Required to obtain and maintain Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, Consumer and Protection pesticide certification in Category 3.0 by the end of the probationary/trial period.
• Complete Incidental Line Clearance Tree Trimmer training by the end of the probationary/trial period.

 Salary: $58,405.88 - $63,871.08 Annually

Opening Date: 09/28/2026

Closing Date: 10/26/2026 11:59 PM Central