Arb Tickets and Qualifications: The UK Guide

Ask ten arborists which tickets you "need" to do tree work and you will get ten different answers. The truth is there is no single licence to be a tree surgeon — instead there is a stack of competence certificates, and which ones matter depends entirely on the work you take on. Get the wrong ones and you have spent good money; get the right ones and you can quote bigger jobs, win commercial contracts and prove competence to insurers and clients.

This guide breaks down the main arb tickets, what they cover, and how to think about building a sensible ticket stack without burning cash.

What "arb tickets" actually are

In the UK, "arb tickets" is shorthand for certificates of competence — most commonly the chainsaw and tree-work units awarded through City & Guilds NPTC (and, increasingly, equivalents from awarding bodies like Lantra). They are not legal licences in the way a driving licence is. There is no law that says you must hold a specific certificate to fell a tree on your own land.

So why bother? Because for almost any paid or commercial work, competence has to be demonstrable. Under health and safety law, employers and the self-employed must be competent for the work they do. In practice that means:

• Clients, councils and managing agents ask for tickets before they let you on site.
• Insurers may decline or load your premium without evidence of competence.
• Subcontract and arb-company work almost always requires specific certificates.

The certificate is the paper trail that proves you trained, were assessed and passed. Rules and unit codes change, so always check the current City & Guilds NPTC / Lantra scheme details rather than relying on a unit number a mate gave you three years ago.

The core chainsaw tickets

Most arborists start with the ground-based chainsaw units. The classic starting pair is:

1. Chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting — the foundation unit. Covers safe handling, basic maintenance and cutting logs on the ground. Almost everything else builds on this.
2. Felling small trees (typically up to around 380mm diameter) — directional felling, hinge, escape routes.

From there, common follow-ons include:

• Felling and processing larger / medium trees for bigger stems.
• Severing uprooted or windblown trees — important for storm clear-up work.
• Chainsaw use from a rope and harness (aerial cutting) for anyone going up the tree.

Tip: Don't buy the whole stack on day one. Get cross-cutting and small-tree felling, get real ground experience, then add aerial and climbing units once you know which direction your business is heading.

Climbing, aerial rescue and MEWP tickets

Going off the ground is where the bigger money — and the bigger risk — sits. The key aerial certificates usually include:

• Tree climbing and aerial rescue — climbing technique plus the ability to get an injured colleague down. Aerial rescue is non-negotiable: you should never have a climber up a tree without someone trained to rescue them.
• Chainsaw use from a rope and harness — using a saw while suspended.
• MEWP (mobile elevating work platform) tickets — for cherry-picker work, often via IPAF.

If you are working at height, you also need to understand the broader rules around it. Our practical summary of the Working at Height Regulations is a good companion read before you commit to aerial work.

Wood chippers, stumps and the supporting tickets

Tree work is more than the cutting. The supporting certificates round out a crew's capability:

• Wood chipper operation — feeding and operating a chipper safely. Most domestic and commercial jobs involve one.
• Stump grinding — separate kit, separate competence.
• First aid — a current emergency first aid (or +F for forestry) certificate is widely expected, and many sites won't let you work without one.

You may also need CSCS-style site cards for construction and commercial sites. If you do any work on building sites, our explainer on CSCS cards covers what's involved.

Qualifications beyond tickets

Tickets prove you can do a task safely. Qualifications prove you understand the wider craft — tree biology, pruning standards, surveying, risk. For arborists who want to move into consultancy, surveying or running a larger firm, the recognised academic routes include:

• Level 2 / Level 3 qualifications in arboriculture (diplomas and certificates).
• Higher-level study (Level 4 and degree-level) for those heading towards consultancy, tree inspection or planning work.
• Professional membership and qualifications through the Arboricultural Association.

These matter most if you want to write tree reports, do mortgage/subsidence surveys, or advise on protected trees. Speaking of which — before any job you should always check whether a tree is protected. Our guide on TPOs and conservation areas explains the checks every tree surgeon must make.

Building a sensible ticket stack

The smart approach is to match your tickets to the work you actually want, not to collect them like badges. A rough way to think about it:

• Domestic ground work and clear-ups: cross-cutting, small-tree felling, chipper, first aid.
• Full domestic tree surgery: add climbing, aerial rescue, aerial chainsaw, stump grinding.
• Commercial / contract work: the above plus MEWP, CSCS cards and the paperwork to prove it all.

Tickets cost money and expire or need refreshing, so treat them as a business investment. As a rough guide, plan and budget your training the way you would plan a van purchase — a planned spend that unlocks a category of work, not a panic buy.

That same discipline pays off in how you run the business around the tickets. Storing your certificates, insurance and competence records in one place — instead of a glovebox full of dog-eared cards — means you can prove competence the moment a commercial client or insurer asks. A job-management system like Gaffer keeps certificates, customer records and job history together, so when you quote a bigger contract you can attach proof of competence without digging through drawers. When you're ready to chase more domestic work off the back of those tickets, our guide to marketing for arborists is worth a look.

FAQs

Do I legally need a licence to be a tree surgeon in the UK?

There is no single tree surgeon's licence. However, health and safety law requires you to be competent for the work you do, and certificates of competence (arb tickets) are the standard way to prove that — and clients, councils and insurers routinely demand them.

Which chainsaw ticket should I get first?

Most people start with chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting, then small-tree felling. These ground-based units are the foundation that nearly every other arb qualification builds on.

How long do arb tickets last?

It varies by unit and awarding body, and some have recommended refresher periods rather than hard expiry dates — first aid in particular needs regular renewal. Always check the current City & Guilds NPTC or Lantra guidance for the specific certificate.

Do I need climbing tickets to start a tree surgery business?

No. Plenty of profitable work — felling, clear-ups, chipping and stump grinding — is done entirely from the ground. Add climbing and aerial rescue tickets when you decide to take on full canopy work, and never send a climber up without someone trained in aerial rescue on site.