How To Become A Tree Cutter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tree cutter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a tree cutter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.73 an hour? That's $38,948 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 61,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTree CutterUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,948

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.78%

Asian 1.02%

Black or African American 7.54%

Hispanic or Latino 20.07%

Unknown 4.74%

White 64.86%

Gender

female 4.81%

male 95.19%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.2

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tree cutter

Explore tree cutter education requirements

Most common tree cutter degrees

High School Diploma

60.8 %

Diploma

23.2 %

Associate

6.4 %

Start to develop specific tree cutter skills

Skills	Percentages
Lawn Care	76.50%
Safety Devices	7.19%
Rakes	2.48%
Prune	2.46%
Handsaws	2.16%

Complete relevant tree cutter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tree cutters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tree cutter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tree cutter resumes.

Research tree cutter duties and responsibilities

Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes and to remove low-hanging branches.
Operate chain saws, stump grinders, wood chippers, skid loaders, trailer trucks, and other tree service equipment.
Collect debris and refuse from tree trimming and removal operations into piles, using shovels, rakes and other tools.
Trim with pruners and pole see from the ground.

Prepare your tree cutter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tree cutter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tree cutter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable tree cutter resume templates

Build a professional tree cutter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your tree cutter resume.