Arborist Tech I

denver; Colorado; On-site; USD 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lifelong pension

457B retirement plan

PTO 140 hours in first year

11 paid holidays

Medical/dental/vision plans

Job summary

Denver Parks and Recreation is seeking an Arborist Technician I to support Denver's urban forest. The role involves tree climbing, pruning, planting, transplanting, watering, fertilizing, tree removal, and pest/disease identification while maintaining safety and records.

Work is in-person, five days a week, from 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM at the Forestry Headquarters in Denver, CO. A strong focus on safety and public interaction is required.

Qualifications

• Graduation from high school or GED/ equivalent.
• Six months of experience in tree identification and pruning/removals.
• Valid driver's license required; by end of probation, possession of a Commercial Driver's License.

Responsibilities

• Prune dead, diseased, or damaged limbs using rope, saddle, and cutting tools.
• Perform plant health care duties and tree maintenance.
• Identify and manage tree pests and diseases; assist with pruning and planting.
• Operate heavy equipment (aerial tower, trucks, loaders, chippers) safely.
• Apply pesticides with proper safety protocols and maintain area safety barriers.
• Maintain records and prepare daily activity reports; take samples for lab analysis.

Skills

Tree inventory (Tree Keeper)

Excel

Word

Outlook

Rope & saddle

Aerial lift

Pruning & removals

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Chainsaw

Rigging equipment

Job description

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The hiring range for this position is $25.30 - $29.00/hour . We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

In this position you can expect to work in-person, five days a week, starting at our Forestry Headquarters (945 S. Huron St., Denver, CO 80223). This position will work Monday-Friday, 6:30AM - 3:00PM.

Who We Are & What You'll Do

Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) recognizes the importance of diversity in the representation of our organization to best serve our customers and community. To that end, DPR is committed to:

• Examining department policies and processes that value diverse perspectives and eliminate barriers to inclusion
• Identifying where inequities exist and implementing strategies to ensure equitable outcomes
• Strengthening diversity in Parks and Recreation services by transforming policies to institutionalize equity
• Reinvesting in resources aimed at ensuring DPR is an equitable and just organization

Denver Parks and Recreation is seeking an Arborist Technician I to perform general forestry work to support Denver's urban forest. This includes tree climbing, pruning, planting, transplanting, watering, fertilizing, tree removal, insect/disease identification, pesticide application, and inventory.

Job duties and responsibilities

Job duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prune dead, diseased, or broken limbs from trees utilizing rope and saddle, chain, hand saw, and other related equipment involved in large tree care (more than 70') and small tree maintenance
• Perform plant health care duties as assigned
• Perform duties related to tree maintenance including insect and disease identification and control, removals, pruning, planting, stumping, cabling/bracing, watering/fertilizing, and pesticide application
• Observe and follow safety rules and regulations
• Inspect and identify tree diseases and insects of the area distinguishing between biotic and abiotic conditions such as beneficial insects and environmental stress which is frequent in the Denver area
• Operate a wide variety of heavy mechanized equipment in pruning and removing trees and shrubbery, including a mobile aerial tower unit, log loader trucks, tandem trucks, crane trucks, water trucks, trash trucks, front end loaders, skid steers, tractors, stump grinders and chippers
• Ensure proper preparation and application of pesticides with high velocity spray and soil injection equipment
• Place and remove barricade, cones, and other traffic control and safety devices in and around work area. May act as a traffic safety flagger position to temporarily control vehicular and pedestrian traffic in and around the work area
• Maintain records and prepare daily activity reports
• Take samples from diseased or insect infested trees for laboratory analysis
• Perform preventative maintenance and basic repair on equipment
• Perform snow removal operations as needed

What You'll Bring

We are looking for an up-and-coming professional arborist with enthusiasm and passion for arboriculture and tree maintenance who is eager to learn and develop their skills. The ideal candidate will be adept at ensuring safety and resourcefulness and will have strong skills for interacting positively with the public. Additionally, our ideal candidate will have:

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Experience with Tree Keeper (tree inventory program) and Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook
• Experience with rope and saddle, aerial lift apparatus, technical rigging, advanced pruning, and removals

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate
• Experience: Six (6) months of experience in tree identification, diagnosis, and management of abiotic and biotic plant stresses and tree pruning and removing techniques utilizing rope and saddle, chainsaw, handsaw, and other related equipment involved in tree maintenance
• Licensures/Certification(s): This job requires driving. Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application. Requires the following licenses or certifications by the end of the probation period:
• Valid Commercial