In 2020, after 21 years running his own tree care company – and 10 years in the industry before that – Scott Carlson sold his production business in order to, in his words, “dedicate his stubbornness and passion” to educating and consulting. So was born Scott Carlson Consulting & Appraisal LLC, a seven-year TCIA member company based in Eldridge, Iowa, where he is lead instructor, appraiser and consultant.

Scott Carlson, plaid shirt, presenting safe-tree-felling and chain-saw-safety training for a group of municipal and utility arborists in Waverly, Iowa. Photos courtesy of Scott Carlson.

Carlson has many tree-work creds to his name, including ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, Outstanding Professional of the Year in 2012 from the Iowa Urban and Community Forestry Council and two-term past president of the Iowa Arborist Association (IAA) among them. So, why did he pursue TCIA’s Certified Treecare Safety Professional (CTSP) credential?

“I confess, as I get older and less capable of hands-on tree work, I have sought any way to market my experience and knowledge more. I still climb, but it ain’t pretty. I am a letter collector now,” he says, referring to the multitude of credential abbreviations after his name. “Any letters that might suggest to someone else that this guy knows a thing or two, and cares about safety, are of interest to me. When I studied what the CTSP certification meant, it seemed like a good fit for the direction I was headed.”

And that assumption was correct, he says, because he has benefited from earning the credential.

“I learned a lot about how adult learners learn at the CTSP training. I hope I am a better teacher as a result of that training. I also proudly display the CTSP logo on my correspondence and marketing materials – anywhere I can get it out there. Those who recognize it value it. Those who don’t recognize it probably do too,” he says.

And for those reasons, it could benefit other arborists, he says.

Scott Carlson

“The CTSP logo is the one that conveys that safety is important to me. If somebody else wants to be seen as the ‘go to’ safety guy in his or her company or area, this is the logo to display,” he advises.

He says he learned a few keys things that he took back to his company to help create a culture of safety.

“The idea that employee feedback – negative or positive – should be strongly encouraged rather than discouraged. I also learned that if I don’t clearly articulate the reasons for establishing safe habits and measurable goals, I won’t likely earn peoples’ interest or involvement,” he says.

Carlson has been preparing individuals to pass the ISA Certified Arborist exam for more than 20 years, and offers live, virtual, interactive classes year-round. There are additional takeaways from the CTSP training he has put into practice in those sessions and in other training, he notes.

“Questions are the answer. I encourage a dialogue rather than a monologue when I am in front of students, face-to-face or virtually. Sometimes it works! Also, I try to employ as much hands-on, tactile learning as I can for the easily distracted adult learners. I try to avoid having them snoozing through endless slides. But if I can bring dozens of whole trees into a classroom virtually, when it is hot or cold outside and everyone is tired from being in the field all day, then there is something to be said for visual learning. No mess and no travel. No chippers or chain saws to yell over,” he says.

Carlson says one thing he would like to see change is more availability for earning CTSP CEUs for maintaining the credential.

“I would love to see CTSP CEUs offered at more times and places. Often, I find myself attending or presenting at a workshop where the topic is safety, and I wonder why there are not CTSP CEUs being offered,” he says. Then, answering his own question, he adds, “Then I realize that I did not suggest applying for them to the host or apply for them myself. Mystery solved.”

For more information about the CTSP program and upcoming workshops, go to www.tcia.org and, in the pull-down menu, click on the Education/CEUs tab, then click CTSP & Qualifications. TCIA encourages all trainers to apply for CTSP CEUs!

Tamsin Venn is founding publisher of the former Atlantic Coastal Kayaker magazine and author of the book “Sea Kayaking Along the New England Coast,” and has been a contributing writer to TCI Magazine since 2011. She lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts.