Role guide · Arboriculture
Arboriculture is the trade where two certified-kit worlds meet in one job: chainsaw protection and work at height, worn simultaneously, in a tree. The kit splits cleanly between the climber in the canopy and the ground team feeding the chipper — and the differences are specified, not stylistic.
The job
The climber works a saw in three dimensions, and the kit follows: Type C chainsaw trousers (all-round protection — aloft, the saw can reach any face of the leg), chainsaw boots to the dedicated standard, and a climbing-style helmet with chinstrap (a peaked ground helmet falls off the first time you look up a stem) carrying EN 352-3 muffs and a mesh visor. Climbing harness, ropes and connectors are inspected equipment under the trade's own competence schemes; clothing must work with the harness — fitted, stretchy, snag-free, the harness-compatibility rules with sap and bark added. Layers run athletic: climbing generates heat in January.
The ground team runs the classic Type A forestry list — front-protection trousers, chainsaw boots, forestry helmet system — plus chipper discipline: fitted kit with nothing that dangles (the infeed's rule is absolute), gloves with grip for brash-dragging, and eye protection against flying chip. Both halves share hi-vis where roadside (highway rules apply to verge work), cut-aware gloves, and the retirement rule that governs all saw kit: one contact and the garment is done. The forestry sector guide covers the estate-scale picture.
The split
| Item | Climber | Ground team |
|---|---|---|
| Chainsaw trousers | Type C — all-round | Type A — front protection |
| Helmet | Climbing shell + chinstrap + visor/muffs | Forestry system — EN 397 base |
| Boots | Chainsaw-rated, climb-capable | Chainsaw-rated forestry boots |
| Layers | Athletic, harness-compatible | Weather-driven, chipper-safe |
| Extra rules | Rope & harness inspection regime | Chipper infeed: nothing dangles, ever |
Questions
Because aloft, the saw can approach the leg from any angle — Type C wraps protection around the whole leg, where ground-work Type A protects the front. The weight and heat penalty is real, which is why the certified difference exists rather than everyone simply wearing C.
Climbers wear climbing-style helmets with chinstraps (mountaineering-derived shells that stay on when looking up and moving dynamically), fitted with mesh visors and EN 352-3 ear defenders. Ground crews wear forestry helmet systems on an EN 397 base. A falling helmet protects nobody — the chinstrap is the point.
Arboriculture adds the climbing dimension: Type C trousers, climb-capable chainsaw boots, harness-compatible athletic layers and inspected climbing equipment. Ground-based forestry runs Type A trousers and the standard felling kit. The chainsaw standards and the one-contact retirement rule are shared.
Everything in this guide is stocked, embroiderable and priced for teams — send the headcount.