ISA Municipal Specialist study plan

Draft a one-page outline of the components of a municipal urban forestry program (policy, inventory, planting, maintenance, protection, outreach, funding) and label which office or role typically owns each

Build a spreadsheet template for a street-tree inventory with fields for species, DBH, condition rating, site type, maintenance needs, and risk notes, then populate it with 20 fictional trees

Define the difference between a municipal tree ordinance, a management plan, and an operational work plan, and write a two-sentence distinction for each

List the canopy-cover, diversity, and age-structure metrics you would report to a city council and note the data source for each

Write a 300-word summary of how a tree inventory feeds into budget requests, work-order scheduling, and risk prioritization

Practice assigning condition ratings to 15 described trees using a consistent scale, and justify three of the ratings in writing

Explain species diversity targets and why a single-species dominance is a program risk, using a plausible municipal example

Draft five questions you would ask a GIS analyst or vendor to scope an inventory project

Outline the typical sections of a municipal tree ordinance (purpose, definitions, permits, protection, penalties, appeals) and note what each section must accomplish

Compare how ordinances treat public trees versus private trees and describe where authority usually comes from

Identify the enforcement and appeals steps in a removal-permit process and sequence them in order

Describe how a program plan and an ordinance reinforce each other, with two concrete examples

Explain the purpose and limits of the three-cut pruning method and when structural pruning differs from clearance pruning

Sequence a risk-assessment walk: identify, rate likelihood and consequences, record, prioritize, and schedule follow-up

Describe how a municipality documents hazard trees and removal decisions to support liability defense

Draft ordinance language for tree protection during development that references a tree protection plan and penalties

Define the tree protection zone and explain how it is calculated and marked on site

List common construction impacts (grade change, compaction, trenching, root severing) and match each to a mitigation measure

Describe the inspection sequence a municipal arborist follows before, during, and after construction near trees

Explain how post-construction monitoring and bond or escrow conditions support compliance

Explain species selection criteria including site constraints, mature size, pest and climate resilience, and diversity goals

Describe planting specifications: hole size, root flare placement, backfill, staking, and mulching

Outline an establishment-care schedule for the first three years and state what each visit should accomplish

Describe how to review a development plan's landscaping submittal against the ordinance and species list

Draft a short public message explaining a street-tree removal or pruning decision in plain language

Design a community engagement approach for a tree-planting program, including who to reach and how

Outline a budget with line items for personnel, contracts, equipment, planting stock, and contingency

Compare in-house crews versus contracted work and list the contract elements that protect the municipality

Review weak areas from earlier weeks and rewrite your own notes into a single condensed reference sheet

Answer 40 practice-style scenario questions across all eight domains and log every miss with the reason

Re-explain the ordinance-permit-enforcement chain and the risk-assessment chain from memory without notes

Build a final two-week review calendar leading to the exam date