Maintaining Your ISA Credentials

You’ve worked hard to obtain your ISA credential and we are dedicated to helping you maintain it. You have two options of remaining certified:

You can obtain your required number of CEUs in your three year certification period and pay a recertification fee.
OR, you may choose to retake the exam and successfully pass in order to maintain your credential.

CEUs can be earned through a variety of continuing education and training opportunities. An individual is not limited or restricted to only those sources listed here. There are many other arboriculture resources through which CEUs can be earned. ISA encourages active participation in Chapters, Professional Affiliations, and Associated Organizations.

Please note: Non-educational events and activities are not available for CEUs and are not to be treated as a commodity to compensate volunteers. There must be a formal educational component to receive CEUs, and they cannot be traded for service projects, board meetings, or participation in other non-education focused programs. CEUs also cannot be awarded for preparation time when researching and preparing an educational event.

If you choose to earn CEUs to maintain your credential, below are a few suggestions for CEU sources:

College Courses

College courses based on arboriculture are now worth 10 CEUs per credit hour. For example, a 3-hour college course is worth 30 CEUs. College course work must be completed at an academically accredited two- or four-year institution, and proof of passing grade is required.

Chapter Events

Many conferences, seminars, workshops, and other chapter-held, educational events are eligible for CEUs. Ask your chapter executive to learn more about how many CEUs are available for different types of events.

Participation in Tree Climbing Championship Events

Climbers, judges, and technicians can be awarded up to 3 CEUs at ITCC and Chapter TCC events.

Instructors and Presenters

Instructors and presenters of arboriculture-related education such as seminars, conferences, webinars, and workshops can be awarded the same number of CEUs the attendees would receive at those events.

Published Articles

Authors of articles published in periodicals, journals, newspapers, and magazines can receive 3 CEUs for each educational article.

CPR and First Aid Training

A CPR and First Aid class, or renewal, is each worth 4 CEUs. A copy of your card is needed to earn the CEUs. Also, CEUs for CPR and First Aid will only be awarded once per certification period.

ISA Publication Quizzes

Both the ISA Arborist News and Arboriculture and Urban Forestry (AUF) research journal offer online quizzes to earn CEUs. You may only receive CEUs related to an individual quiz once for the life of your certification unless the publication and quiz are updated.

Select ISA educational publications offer accompanying workbooks that provide CEUs. To receive CEUs for these, you must successfully complete the associated quiz or CEU workbook questions. Just like CEUs earned for quizzes from Arborist News and AUF, CEUs provided by other ISA publications can be earned only once per issue or edition during the life of your certification.

ISA publications available for CEUs:

Arboriculture & the Law and Workbook (3 CEUs)
Arborist Equipment and Workbook (10 CEUs)
Landscape Below Ground I and Workbook (4 CEUs)
Plant Health Care for Woody Ornamentals and Workbook (3 CEUs)
Trees and Development and Workbook (4 CEUs)
ISA Arborist News Quiz (1 CEU)
ISA Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Online Quiz (1 CEU)
Photographic Guide to the Evaluation of Hazard Trees in Urban Areas and Workbook (2 CEUs)
ACB's Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning and Workbook (2 CEUs)
Pest Management in the Landscape and Workbook (2 CEUs)

Computer-Based Training

Online Learning Center
Your 24-hour portal to learning and professional development. More than 30 courses available including the Introduction to Arboriculture series.
Introduction to Arboriculture CD-Rom Set, 10 CDs (49 CEUs)
- Tree Biology (4 CEUs) Available in Spanish
- Tree Worker Safety (6 CEUs) Available in Spanish
- Tree Pruning (4 CEUs) Available in Spanish
- Tree Identification & Selection (5 CEUs) Available in Spanish
- Diagnosis & Disorders (6 CEUs) Available in Spanish
- Planting & Early Care (4 CEUs)
- Tree Maintenance (6 CEUs)
- Plant Health Care (6 CEUs)
- Soil & Water (4 CEUs)
- Risk Assessment (4 CEUs)

Seminars

Most arboriculture seminars are pre-approved through your local chapter. If you would like to know if an upcoming seminar has been pre-approved for credit, you can contact your local chapter. If you are a member of a local chapter, they should provide you with information regarding any upcoming seminars. You should also check the Arborist News Industry Calendar and the ISA online events calender.

In-House Training

A lot of companies offer in-house training. Any educational topics pertaining to tree care gets CEUs. This includes safety meetings, training, CPR/first aid, chain saw safety training, etc. Please contact the ISA to find out if your in-house training opportunities may qualify for CEUs.

View Your Certification Status

To learn more about your current certification status or access your CEU report, log in to your MyISA Account.

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