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Boston Career Explorer

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance

Tree Trimmers and Pruners

Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.

Also called: Arborist, Climber, Grounds Worker, Groundsman, Laborer, Plant Health Care Technician

Median pay in Greater Boston
$62,780
$30.19/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
1,060
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$49,020$61,140$62,780$80,440$81,340

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines.
  • Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools.
  • Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers.
  • Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment.
  • Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle.
  • Climb trees, using climbing hooks and belts, or climb ladders to gain access to work areas.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure6 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 2
  • Language-model AIOE 1
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 15

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. Most of the work is hands-on: climbing, cutting branches, running saws and chippers, and moving heavy limbs. AI tools could play a small part in things like planning, but they do not do the physical work.

Likely to change

  • Planning jobs and routing crews
  • Tracking equipment upkeep and supplies

Still relies on people

  • Climbing and cutting branches by hand
  • Running saws, chippers, and boom trucks

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Construction Laborers

    Running equipment and keeping tools in shape carry over directly. Training is short-term on the job, and pay is $63,420.

    Pay difference
    +$640 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +9.5%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Roofers

    Outdoor, hands-on work and judging a job site carry over to roofing. Pay is $66,350, and no formal credential is needed.

    Pay difference
    +$3,570 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Rigging and hoisting experience may help in an apprenticeship that leads to the highest pay on this list, $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$58,060 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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