The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), under the guidance of its Credentialing Council and with the assistance of volunteer subject matter experts and its professional affiliate, the Urban and Community Forestry Society (UCFS), has made significant changes to the ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist® program and rebranded the certification to the ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional credential.

This decision is in response to developments in the field of arboriculture and program audience since the credential’s initial publication in 2004 and follows a program review and standard Job Task Analysis (JTA) conducted in concert with numerous experts across multiple fields of practice. For context, ISA conducts a JTA approximately every five years for each of its credentials to ensure the validity of our examinations and the programs themselves. The process reviews or develops the set of knowledge and skills essential for a professional earning a given credential. In addition to programmatic changes, the rebrand was also an outcome of the credential’s latest JTA, as well as findings pooled from the Urban Forestry 2020 project and a survey of UCFS’s membership.

The new eligibility, examination, completion, and maintenance of the ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional (former ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist) program will be available for applicants and candidates starting the on 31^st of March 2025. This means that if you are enrolled (or planning to enroll) in this program after this date, you should prepare for the examination using the newest version of the exam outline, the one marked with the year “2025” and available on the ISA website at https://www.isa-arbor.com/Credentials/Types-of-Credentials/ISA-Certified-Arborist-Municipal-Specialist. How the percentage of questions associated with individual domains included in this updated examination will change is provided below:

Current domain distribution for the ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional (former ISA Certified Arborist Municipal Specialist®) program.

Domain in the examination	Percentage of questions associated with this domain
Communication Skills	11%
Public Relations and Education	6%
Administration	16%
Risk Management	30%
Arboricultural Practices	20%
Policy and Planning	17%

 

New domain distribution for the ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional examination, starting on 31 March 2025.

Domain in the examination	Percentage of questions associated with this domain
Urban Forest Management	32%
Arboricultural Practices	26%
Communication and Public Education	21%
Administration, Policy, and Planning	21%

 

As a result of the standard-setting studies performed, the new required passing score (completion requirement) for candidates to the program will be 70% starting March 31^st, 2025, the same date the program’s revised eligibility and maintenance requirements will also take into effect. The changes to the eligibility and maintenance of credential requirements are as follows:

Eligibility: Must be an ISA Certified Arborist® OR have a minimum of three years of documented and verifiable work experience in a position managing the establishment and maintenance of urban trees OR a combination of education and relevant practical experience

Recertification & Maintenance: ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional credential holders will no longer be required to maintain certification as an ISA Certified Arborist® and can recertify by either: (1) retaking and passing the certification exam, or (2) accumulating at least 30 continuing education units (CEUs) over the three-year certification period (the CEUs must relate to the four new tested domains and examination outline for the program) and pay the recertification fee.