ISA Utility Specialist Study Guide | Utility
Arboriculture Certification Practice
Questions & Exam Prep
2026/2027
,Accident discredited term for unplanned, undesirable event that could result in unintentional
injury/property damage attributed to fate/bad luck
Accident Pyramid illustration of Herbert Heinrich principles of accident prevention-----bottom has
thousands of unsafe acts/conditions, led to 300 close calls, 29 minor injuries &
ultimately one major fatality/injury at top
Accrual Accounting accounting methodology that records revenues & costs when they occur
ACSR aluminum conductor steel reinforced
Action Threshold point at which the level of incompatible plant species, density, height, location,
condition threatens the stated management objectives & requires implementation of
control method
Active Listening structured face to face communication technique that improves performance &
increases understanding btwn people
-use persons name
-paraphrase their message
Acute Toxicity adverse effects resulting from exposure to a single dose or exposure to multiple
doses of a substance over short time frame
Aerial Application VM application of herbicide using aircraft(helicopters/fixed wing)
Aerial LIft truck, logging skidder or vehicle mounted w hydraulic boom supported bucket or
semi-enclosed working platform used to elevate workers
AHAS Inhibitors chemical class of commonly IVM herbicides in which the mode of action inhibits key
botanical enzyme
-acetohdroxycacid synthase(AHAS)----biosynthesis of critical amino acids
Airbrake Switch manually operated switch----deployed where two circuits meet or circuit portion from
an energized feeder
-not designed to auto interrupt electrical load or be used as line protection from
overload, short circuit or fault
Allelopathy ability of some plants including certain grasses, to release chems that suppress
other plant species growing around them
ALS Inhibitors chemical class of commonly used IVM herbicides in which the mode of action
inhibits a key enzyme
-acetolactate synthase
Alternating Current(AC) electric current that reverses its direction many times per second at regular intervals
typically used in power supplies
, Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced Cable(ACSR) energize cable constructed from aluminum wire stranded around a steel core
-lightweight, low cost
-tendency to stretch when heated----high electrical load or high temp
-to minimize stretch/add strength----steel core is added
Ampere(amp, A) measure of current
- 1 A = charge carried by 6.25 x 10^18 electrons moving past a given point in one
second
-ANSI A300(Part 7) American National Standard for Tree Care Operations----Tree/Shrub/Wood Plant
Maintenance
-IVM---utility ROW
ANSI Z133 ANSI Arboricultural Operations----Safety Reqs
-safety standard of practice for tree care
Approach Distance minimum distance that must be kept btwn conductors/energized equipment &
qualified line clearance personnel & non-qualified & bodies/tools
-approach distance vary w qualifications of personnel & voltages
Automatic Line Recloser circuit breaker equipped w mechanism that auto close the breaker after it has been
opened due to a. fault
-designed to reset quickly to give the cause of a fault opp to clear
-may immediately recharge the circuit several times at adjustable time delay----2/3
operations within seconds before they open permanently
Auxin plant growth regulator or substance that promotes/influences the growth &
development of plants
-produced at sites where cells are dividing primarily in the shoot tips
-auxin like compounds may be produced synthetically
Auxin Transport Inhibitors class of selective herbicides that disrupt auxin transport
-auxin transport obstruction causes unnatural concentration of auxin in meristematic
shoots & roots, disturbing the auxin tolerances req for normal plant growth
Back Feed electric flow in an unintended direction thru a process whereby de-energized lines
become energized from an external source----home generator
Bargaining Unit group of workers rep by a union local
Basal Application herbicide application made at the bottom 12 in of stem & root collar with an
herbicide in an oil carrier
Behavior-Based theory of industrial accident prevention pioneered by Herbert Heinrich that
considers the overwhelming majority of incidents to be caused by unsafe acts
Biological Methods management of vegetation by establishment & control of compatible stable plant
communities using plant competition, allelopathy, animals, insects, pathogens
-cover-type conversion is a type of biological control
Border Zone section of a transmission/pipeline ROW that extends from wire/pipe zone to the
ROW edge
-managed to promote a low growing plant community of forms, tall shrubs & low
growing trees below a specified height(25 ft)
Arboriculture Certification Practice
Questions & Exam Prep
2026/2027
,Accident discredited term for unplanned, undesirable event that could result in unintentional
injury/property damage attributed to fate/bad luck
Accident Pyramid illustration of Herbert Heinrich principles of accident prevention-----bottom has
thousands of unsafe acts/conditions, led to 300 close calls, 29 minor injuries &
ultimately one major fatality/injury at top
Accrual Accounting accounting methodology that records revenues & costs when they occur
ACSR aluminum conductor steel reinforced
Action Threshold point at which the level of incompatible plant species, density, height, location,
condition threatens the stated management objectives & requires implementation of
control method
Active Listening structured face to face communication technique that improves performance &
increases understanding btwn people
-use persons name
-paraphrase their message
Acute Toxicity adverse effects resulting from exposure to a single dose or exposure to multiple
doses of a substance over short time frame
Aerial Application VM application of herbicide using aircraft(helicopters/fixed wing)
Aerial LIft truck, logging skidder or vehicle mounted w hydraulic boom supported bucket or
semi-enclosed working platform used to elevate workers
AHAS Inhibitors chemical class of commonly IVM herbicides in which the mode of action inhibits key
botanical enzyme
-acetohdroxycacid synthase(AHAS)----biosynthesis of critical amino acids
Airbrake Switch manually operated switch----deployed where two circuits meet or circuit portion from
an energized feeder
-not designed to auto interrupt electrical load or be used as line protection from
overload, short circuit or fault
Allelopathy ability of some plants including certain grasses, to release chems that suppress
other plant species growing around them
ALS Inhibitors chemical class of commonly used IVM herbicides in which the mode of action
inhibits a key enzyme
-acetolactate synthase
Alternating Current(AC) electric current that reverses its direction many times per second at regular intervals
typically used in power supplies
, Aluminum Conductor Steel-Reinforced Cable(ACSR) energize cable constructed from aluminum wire stranded around a steel core
-lightweight, low cost
-tendency to stretch when heated----high electrical load or high temp
-to minimize stretch/add strength----steel core is added
Ampere(amp, A) measure of current
- 1 A = charge carried by 6.25 x 10^18 electrons moving past a given point in one
second
-ANSI A300(Part 7) American National Standard for Tree Care Operations----Tree/Shrub/Wood Plant
Maintenance
-IVM---utility ROW
ANSI Z133 ANSI Arboricultural Operations----Safety Reqs
-safety standard of practice for tree care
Approach Distance minimum distance that must be kept btwn conductors/energized equipment &
qualified line clearance personnel & non-qualified & bodies/tools
-approach distance vary w qualifications of personnel & voltages
Automatic Line Recloser circuit breaker equipped w mechanism that auto close the breaker after it has been
opened due to a. fault
-designed to reset quickly to give the cause of a fault opp to clear
-may immediately recharge the circuit several times at adjustable time delay----2/3
operations within seconds before they open permanently
Auxin plant growth regulator or substance that promotes/influences the growth &
development of plants
-produced at sites where cells are dividing primarily in the shoot tips
-auxin like compounds may be produced synthetically
Auxin Transport Inhibitors class of selective herbicides that disrupt auxin transport
-auxin transport obstruction causes unnatural concentration of auxin in meristematic
shoots & roots, disturbing the auxin tolerances req for normal plant growth
Back Feed electric flow in an unintended direction thru a process whereby de-energized lines
become energized from an external source----home generator
Bargaining Unit group of workers rep by a union local
Basal Application herbicide application made at the bottom 12 in of stem & root collar with an
herbicide in an oil carrier
Behavior-Based theory of industrial accident prevention pioneered by Herbert Heinrich that
considers the overwhelming majority of incidents to be caused by unsafe acts
Biological Methods management of vegetation by establishment & control of compatible stable plant
communities using plant competition, allelopathy, animals, insects, pathogens
-cover-type conversion is a type of biological control
Border Zone section of a transmission/pipeline ROW that extends from wire/pipe zone to the
ROW edge
-managed to promote a low growing plant community of forms, tall shrubs & low
growing trees below a specified height(25 ft)
