For many, the transition from a job to a career in arboriculture starts with the purchase of the “ISA Arborist Certification Study Guide.” And when making that leap, it feels even more official when that certificate comes in the mail saying you’re now an ISA Certified Arborist. But, as with anything, someone was behind the scenes, leading the effort, and that someone was Sharon Lilly.

How does someone go from pre-med to writing the premier program that certifies people for an entire (non-medical) industry?

Lilly started climbing in high school, continuing through college as she worked through her pre-med program. But at some point, she realized she would rather be in trees than be a doctor. She attained her master’s degree and went full time into residential/commercial tree care for 25 years. She served as climber, salesperson, consultant and business owner, and drew on all those experiences to take the next step.

Sharon Lilly with Jim Skiera, left, and Hershel Hale at a climbing competition. All photos courtesy of Sharon Lilly.

Around 1983, Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Education Curriculum Materials Service engaged Lilly to develop a tree-worker training manual for students in high school vocational programs. At this point, climbing techniques weren’t widely documented, and much of the standardization only existed in the larger companies, such as Davey and Bartlett. Everyone else mostly relied on co-workers to share what they’d learned.

At a Glance

Sharon Lilly

Name: Sharon Lilly
Job title: Owner
Company/organization: Aesculus LLC
City and state: Acworth, Georgia
Years in industry: 50
Credentials: BCMA, TRAQ instructor; master’s degree in landscape horticulture, concentration in arboriculture
Area(s) of impact: Credentialing; education and training of arborists
Additional credentials: Author or coauthor, ISA publications: “ISA Arborist Certification Study Guide,” “The Tree Climbers’ Guide,” “The Tree Worker’s Manual,” “The BCMA Guide for Preparation,” “Tree Risk Assessment Manual,” several best management practices (BMPs) manuals
Videos & CDs: ISA’s “Introduction to Arboriculture” CD set, ArborMaster Training Series: “Basic Training for Tree Climbers,” “The Art and Science of Practical Rigging,” “The Legends of Arboriculture”
Programs: ISA Certified Arborist, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), TCIA Crew Leader, TCIA Apprenticeship
Favorite tree: Oaks
Hobbies: Hiking, pickleball, cycling, reading

“Our profession was still teaching some techniques that climbers today would find shocking,” says Lilly.

This project culminated in the release of “The Tree Worker’s Manual,” which she introduced to the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) Ohio Chapter. It was an immediate hit and served as the primary study material for what was at the time Ohio Chapter’s certification program. This manual would be a leap toward documentation and standardization of climbing and rigging practices.

Sharon Lilly found her passion in both trees and educating people about them.

It was through this effort and the ones to come that Lilly’s true loves, climbing and teaching, combined. Let’s hear from Lilly, in her own words, about her passion for educating arborists.

What do you enjoy about training arborists or teaching people about arboriculture?
“This was where I found my passion, especially with teaching tree workers! I loved the challenge of getting past their reluctance to face structured education and feelings that they knew all they needed to know for their daily work. There was always that magic moment when they went from being a conscripted student to an eager learner, anxious to know more and to share it with their colleagues. For so many, a little basic learning helped them turn a ‘job’ into a professional ‘career.’”

What’s been your strategy for seeking out and determining good content? How do you recommend someone today go about sifting through all the information that is available to them?
“Starting with the writing of the ‘Arborists’ Certification Study Guide,’ I began to look at my role in education very broadly. What I was doing was not about educating small groups of arborists or college students, but about helping to educate hundreds of thousands of professionals from all over the world and all facets of arboriculture. It was more important than ever to ‘get it right.’ ISA and TCIA both go to great lengths to work with the top experts in every subject and specialty of arboriculture to get broad and in-depth input and technical review of the materials they publish.

“Now, with social media, there is a great deal of stuff available with just a few clicks. Sadly, not all of it is technically correct or even safe! Everybody needs to be careful about the sources they use. Trust the information and training from reliable sources, such as the professional associations and universities, and be skeptical of unvetted posters.”

What accomplishment, publication or other goods are you most proud of, and why?
“I guess ISA Arborist Certification gives me the greatest satisfaction, because tens of thousands of arborists from all around the world have become certified, and the credential is widely recognized. Certification has elevated the profession more than most people know, and has served as the impetus for continuing education. And it has changed the lives of some arborists, for whom it is their biggest professional achievement and one that allows them to view themselves as professionals.”

It’s been some time since you were in the field. Do you remember what you climbed on in the beginning? Harness? Rope? Climbing system? Curious people want to know!
“I started with a worn, hand-me-down saddle, and I climbed on a synthetic, three-strand rope with heavy, non-
locking rope snaps, which were standard at that time. The rope was a fairly recent advancement from manila ropes. Those three-strand ropes would twist and hockle when you descended using the tautline hitch, making them difficult to coil. All climbing was moving-rope system. One of the first new developments during my career was the introduction of braided ropes, which solved that problem. Soon after, improved climbing harnesses were introduced and we started using locking carabiners. That was followed by split-tail lanyards, improved friction hitches and more efficient climbing techniques.”

Sharon Lilly, right, just after she came down out of the Post Oak that stood as a sentinel over JFK’s grave during the National Arborist Association (now TCIA) Day of Service at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in 1993.

What is your favorite memory from working in the field? What did you enjoy about working in production tree care?
“I truly loved working outdoors, and I loved the physical challenges. I’d come home at the end of a long day, exhausted and covered in scratches and bruises, but I felt great about putting in a good day’s work. I drew energy from overcoming my fears on a difficult climb or the obstacles of a complicated rigging job.”

We all have something to learn from the people who came before us. What advice do you have for people starting their career in tree care?
“For any professional in arboriculture, get involved with the professional organizations such as TCIA and ISA! For people starting a tree service, work Saturdays, people are home!”

What do you wish you’d learned sooner in your career/life?
“I think with age and experience we gain a greater perspective of the big picture. We learn to overcome the inevitable hurdles with a little less pain and frustration. We learn when to work within the constraints given and when to challenge and expand the limits.”

Conclusion
There are times in which we can reflect on life before something big happens, and life after. Life before cellphones, and after. Life before streaming television, and after. Life before throw lines, and after. For many of us, we don’t know how tree care looked before certification, but we can attest to how it looks now. It’s a diverse body of professionals who care for urban trees, using techniques based in science. It’s climbers, urban foresters, plant-health-care technicians and many more who earn continuing education units (CEUs) and who rally behind a united message: to teach the public about the benefits of trees, using practices standardized through science and research.
From one arborist to another, this author would like to say, “Thank you, Sharon. Thank you for elevating this industry, bringing us credentialing and written materials we can build from, as well as a high regard for vetted educational content. And thank you for the body of work you will continue to contribute to the industry, well into your retirement.”

Alex Julius (she/her) is the employee-development and safety-training specialist at The Davey Tree Expert Company, an accredited, 50-year TCIA member company based in Kent, Ohio. She is a Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA) and Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist, and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. She is the co-author of “Tree Climbers’ Guide (4th edition),” and resides in Urbana, Illinois.