The persistent shortage of certified arborists and skilled crews is significantly impacting the tree care industry, leading to notable changes in how services are priced and delivered.
Key impacts on pricing and operations include:
- Service Price Increases: In regions with acute labor shortages, residential tree service prices have risen by an average of 15–20% year-over-year. These increases are driven by companies raising wages and benefits to attract and retain talent.
- Premium and Risk-Based Pricing: Higher costs are reflected in premium quotes, emergency service surcharges, and specialized risk-based pricing models that account for the high cost of scarce expertise.
- Scheduling Bottlenecks: A gap of several thousand professionals nationally has led to multi-week or even multi-month wait times for non-emergency services, such as pruning or routine assessments.
- Technological Offsetting: To mitigate the lack of personnel, firms are increasingly adopting AI-powered tree risk assessment technology and drones. These tools allow crews to prioritize inspections and improve efficiency, though they cannot entirely replace the judgment of certified professionals.
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