ISA Certified Tree Climber (formerly Tree Worker Climber Specialist) — Practice Exam
Pruning: practice questions
Our ISA Certified Tree Climber bank has 60 questions on this topic. Here are 5 of them with answers; the full mock exam draws from every topic, like the real one.
Question 1
What is the recommended order of priorities when pruning?
- Aesthetics, then safety
- Health, then aesthetics, then safety
- Size, then shape
- Safety, then health, then aesthetics
Show the answer
D. Safety, then health, then aesthetics — USDA Forest Service general pruning guideline.
Question 2
What can sudden sun exposure after topping cause?
- Faster wound closure
- More flowers
- Thicker bark
- Sunburn of tissue under the bark, leading to cankers and bark splitting
Show the answer
D. Sunburn of tissue under the bark, leading to cankers and bark splitting — Leaves normally shade the remaining branches and trunk.
Question 3
Why should pruning tools be secured while aloft?
- To make them easier to sharpen
- To prevent injury to workers below
- To keep them warm
- To avoid using a lanyard
Show the answer
B. To prevent injury to workers below — The outline lists securing pruning tools aloft as a skill.
Question 4
Which is the best long-term answer for a tree that has outgrown its space?
- Tip all its laterals
- Remove it and replace it with a species that fits
- Top it every year to keep it within its space
Show the answer
B. Remove it and replace it with a species that fits — Crown reduction is a method of last resort.
Question 5
When does the USDA Forest Service say a wound dressing may be applied?
- On oaks or elms wounded at a critical time, to deter disease-spreading insects
- On every pruning cut
- Only on conifers
- Only on cuts over 1 inch
Show the answer
A. On oaks or elms wounded at a critical time, to deter disease-spreading insects — The only benefit is preventing pathogen introduction in Dutch elm disease and oak wilt.