Two Old Growth Tree Service employees work through a section of TCIA’s Arborist Apprenticeship Training Program. All photos courtesy of Britt Felton, unless otherwise noted.

At Old Growth Tree Service, training has never been optional.

“You don’t get to ‘figure it out as you go’ in tree work without consequences,” says Michael Earl, owner of the Colorado-based company. “Essentially, we strive to make sure our people go home healthy every day, and training and education are part of the puzzle that helps create a safe work environment.”

That mindset has shaped Old Growth’s approach to workforce development for years. Long before the company formally launched a registered apprenticeship program, it had already built internal training rubrics and mentorship practices designed to reduce risk in a high-hazard industry. But as the company grew, leadership began to recognize a hard truth shared by many tree care businesses; growth was outpacing the available talent pipeline.

“When you’re short-staffed or relying on inconsistent training, safety suffers first,” Earl says. “That’s not a risk we are willing to take.”

Workforce realities in the mountains
Old Growth operates primarily in Colorado ski towns – communities with unique workforce challenges. The labor pool is smaller than in urban areas, the cost of living is high and the workforce tends to be seasonal and transient.

“Workforce development here is different from cities,” Earl says. “Early on, we weren’t able to offer year-round employment, given the seasonal nature of tree work.”

Over time, the company expanded year-round roles and invested more heavily in mentorship and development. What they learned was that predictability matters – especially in a trade where safety depends on training, experience and trust.

“If we can create a predictable, steady workplace with a clear pathway, we can take someone who came here for the ‘ski bum’ lifestyle and help them build a career they never expected,” Earl says.

Owner Mike Earl. Photo courtesy of Scott Bellow.

A clearer training roadmap
Old Growth had already built much of its own training infrastructure. However, integrating that work with TCIA’s Arborist Apprenticeship Training Program revealed gaps the company didn’t know existed.

“When we integrated our internal program with TCIA’s apprenticeship curriculum, it immediately exposed blind spots we didn’t know we had,” Earl notes. “Their material was deeper and more complete, and it provided a structure that formalized training in a way that aligned with our core values.”

Those values – knowledge, teamwork and accountability – were already central to Old Growth’s culture. TCIA’s curriculum helped translate them into a consistent, standardized framework.

Setting up the program
For companies considering a registered apprenticeship program, Earl emphasizes that the administrative side is more straightforward than people might expect. “From an administrative standpoint, setting it up with the state was a very manageable process.”

Old Growth formally launched its TCIA-aligned Arborist Apprenticeship Training Program in 2023, registering it through the Colorado Department of Labor as a U.S. Department of Labor–recognized apprenticeship.

They then customized portions of the curriculum to reflect company priorities. TCIA provided apprenticeship manuals to support that work. Where the real effort began, he notes, was in execution. Tree care production seasons are demanding, and without intentional structure, training can easily get pushed aside. Old Growth addressed that risk by building regular accountability into the program.

“We have found that structure breeds consistency,” Earl says. “We hold weekly check-ins between the mentor and the apprentice to review each section and determine what to focus on next.”

Those meetings are scheduled into the workweek, not treated as optional extras. Mentors are responsible for tracking apprentice progress, and work is planned around training commitments.

“When training is pushed aside, people default to shortcuts. And shortcuts in our industry are where injuries happen.”

The company takes pride in continuing training and education for their employees. Photo courtesy of James Mill.

When company culture leads
Old Growth has taken a deliberate approach toward growing its apprenticeship program, prioritizing long-term commitment over rapid expansion. Rather than assigning mentor-
apprentice pairings out of necessity, the company allows those relationships to develop organically. “It’s our belief that mentors and apprentices should come together naturally,” Earl says. “Almost as if they choose each other.”

The program’s pace and culture reflect that philosophy. While it slowed the company’s second round of apprentices, Earl says it resulted in something far more critical than quick growth: genuine commitment. “Buy-in matters, because safety doesn’t work when it’s forced. It works when people take ownership.”

In practice, that sense of ownership has carried through to outcomes in the field. In the program’s first round, two apprentices completed the training and passed the ISA Arborist certification exam – a milestone Earl describes as meaningful not just for the apprentices, but for the mentors guiding them. “That was a major moment for our mentors,” Earl says. “They felt pride in helping influence someone who hadn’t originally planned on a career in arboriculture.”

For Old Growth, however, credentials are only part of the measure of success. The deeper impact, Earl notes, lies in the development of habits and awareness that directly support safety. “The real win was seeing two people develop the knowledge, discipline and situational awareness required to operate safely in the field.”

Practical field training anchors an effective apprenticeship program.

Retention and internal pathways
Because recruiting experienced arborists from outside the region has proven difficult, internal development has become central to the company’s approach. “In our market, developing talent internally isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a necessity,” Earl says.

Apprenticeships are two years by design, but prior experience and demonstrated competencies can allow participants to enter at advanced stages. “Many of our employees could start at the second year if we had enough mentors.”

Retention data is still emerging, but early indicators are promising. “Directionally, we’ve seen that the apprenticeship program creates a stronger reason for people to stay,” says Earl. “It turns a job into a pathway to a career.”

In a region where seasonal work often leads to turnover, that kind of opportunity really matters. “When people can see their future, they make better, safer decisions in the present,” Earl explains.

Mike Earl inspects a tree out in the field. Photo courtesy of James Mill.

The benefit of strong mentorship
One of the most significant surprises to emerge from Old Growth’s apprenticeship program has been its impact on mentors. While apprentice development was always a central goal, Earl says the program also reshaped how experienced arborists approached leadership and teaching.

“We expected apprentices to grow; that’s the whole point. What we didn’t fully anticipate was how much the mentors would grow as leaders, educators and role models.”

Rather than relying on informal, on-the-fly instruction, mentors are required to plan, communicate clearly and follow through over time. That degree of rigor, says Earl, changes behavior in meaningful ways. “The program creates predictability, which forces the mentor to be more intentional. They can’t just teach as they go.”

That consistency extends beyond individual relationships and directly affects safety culture. “Safety is built through habits, repetition and accountability,” Earl says, “not through one-off tailgate meetings.”

By pairing multiple learning pathways with clear rubrics for competency, the program reduces guesswork and assumptions – a critical advantage in a high-risk industry. Instead of relying on informal judgment calls, mentors and apprentices share a common standard for what readiness actually looks like in the field.

Mentorship is a key component of Old Growth’s apprenticeship program.

Conclusion
After working through the realities of building and sustaining an apprenticeship program, Earl’s advice to other tree care companies is direct.

“First, don’t do it unless you’re serious about cultivating safety and culture,” he says, adding that if training is not already a core value, the program will feel like paperwork instead of purpose.

Paying employees for training time is another nonnegotiable. “If you don’t pay for training time, you create a dilemma where employees have to choose between learning and earning,” Earl notes. “That’s not fair.” He adds that compensating training removes pressure to rush – one of the biggest threats to safety in the industry – and sends a clear message of long-term investment.

Finally, Earl emphasizes the importance of understanding what apprenticeship really builds. “You’re not just training skills. You’re creating a pathway.”
That pathway can lead to roles as journey workers, ISA Certified Arborists, mentors, plant health care professionals, consultants or future business owners. In rural and mountain communities, that kind of development should not be underestimated.

“Workforce development isn’t optional,” Earl says. “It’s survival.”

The return on investment, he adds, isn’t found in production metrics. “The biggest return hasn’t been production. It’s been safety and culture. The apprenticeship program didn’t just grow apprentices; it grew mentors and strengthened our team as a whole.”

Britt Felton is the marketing manager and Michael Earl is the owner of Colorado-based Old Growth Tree Service, which has been TCIA-accredited since 2019. In 2023, the company launched its Arborist Apprenticeship Program, a nationally recognized training and education program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor and developed in conjunction with TCIA.