Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Food service, cleaning, and personal care / 37-3013.00

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.

US jobs
55,160
Median wage
$50,960 a year
Job family
Food service, cleaning, and personal care

Can agents do the work of tree trimmers and pruners?

We read the evidence for the whole job family, Food service, cleaning, and personal care: Not yet (first measured in the last 12 months)

Direct benchmarks exist, but agents complete less than 20% of their tasks.

Evidence: BEHAVIOR Challenge 2025, 12.4% of tasks fully completed (Full task success rate).

0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.

  • 20%Operate agricultural or forestry equipmentNot measured
  • 16%Dispose of waste or debrisNot measured
  • 16%Cut trees or other vegetationNot measured
  • 7%Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areasNot measured
  • 6%Operate transportation equipment or vehiclesNot measured
  • 6%Apply protective solutions or coatingsNot measured
  • 5%Climb equipment or structuresNot measured
  • 4%Monitor environmental conditionsNot measured

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in food service, cleaning, and personal care, not always this occupation's tasks.

Direct evidence

Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.

Also relevant

These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • 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.
  • Supervise others engaged in tree trimming work and train lower-level employees.
  • Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches.
  • Load debris and refuse onto trucks and haul it away for disposal.
  • Inspect trees to determine if they have diseases or pest problems.
  • Provide information to the public regarding trees, such as advice on tree care.
  • Trim jagged stumps, using saws or pruning shears.
Other job titles for this occupation (31)

Arborist · Climber · Grounds Worker · Groundsman · Laborer · Plant Health Care Technician · Tree Climber · Tree Trimmer · Trimmer · Brush Clearing Laborer · Bucket Operator · Bucket Truck Operator · Climber Trimmer · Climbing Arborist · Diagnostician · Grape Pruner · Groundsperson · Line Clearance Trimmer · Line Clearing Tree Trimmer · Pruner · Sales Arborist · Tanbark Laborer · Timber Cutter · Tree Doctor · Tree Expert · Tree Pruner · Tree Specialist · Tree Surgeon · Tree Worker · Utility Arborist · Vine Pruner