ISA UTILITY ARBORIST MAIN EXAM 2025/2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called cycle pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called facility pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called corrective pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can be directionally pruned - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can be reduced in height - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can close over trunk wounds - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F TGRs are effective in reducing the rate of shoot growth - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F TGRs have little or no deleterious effects - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F TGRs result in leaves that are smaller and slightly darker than normal - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas with
high residential density and many trees - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas where
individual amenity trees must b reduced in height - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas with
strict regulations prohibiting arborists from climbing trees - ✔✔False
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Communication between vegetation managers, contractors,
supervisors, and workers should be both written and verbal
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Long-term planning is strategic, while short-term planning is tactical
✔✔specifications - ✔✔documents that describe, instruct, and direct work results
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on 3-
phase lines than on single-phase lines
,✔✔just in time management - ✔✔a results based strategy designed to target trees as
close as possible to the time that they interfere with facilities
✔✔work breakdown structure - ✔✔a prioritized outline of job components that must be
completed for a successful project outcome
✔✔True - ✔✔For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered
cost centers that do no generate income
✔✔purchases of equipment or line construction - ✔✔capital expenses
✔✔True - ✔✔Time and material contracts, which are based on hourly rates for labor
and equipment, are generally low risk for contractors and high risk for utilities
✔✔unit price contract - ✔✔Type of contract gaining popularity because the
responsibility for productivity, work planning, and scheduling rest with the contractor
✔✔straight line - ✔✔Depreciation in which costs are spread out over the lifetime of an
item
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F cycle based work planning is a valid utility management approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F results based work planning is a valid utility management approach
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Objective based work planning is a valid utility management
approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Crisis management work planning is a valid utility management
approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
skill, work, objectives, tactics
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
Scope, Want, Observation, Talent
✔✔False - ✔✔F/T SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
Safety, Weaknesses, Objectives, Targets
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost about the same
, ✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost one and a half times as much
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost twice as much
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance can
cost five times as much
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Time is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F skill is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F cost is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F scope is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, low pay is the most common
reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, workload is the most
common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, relationships with co-
workers is the most common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔True - ✔✔With respect to personnel management, treatment from supervisors is the
most common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Communication between vegetation managers, contractors,
supervisors, and workers should be verbal first and optionally written
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Long-term planning is tactical, while short-term planning is strategic
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on
single-phase lines than on 3-phase lines
✔✔False - ✔✔For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered
cost centers that generate income
✔✔operating expenses - ✔✔supply purchases or salaries
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called cycle pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called facility pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Reducing or removing branches back to laterals or parents stems growing away
from the facility is called corrective pruning - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can be directionally pruned - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can be reduced in height - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Palms can close over trunk wounds - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F TGRs are effective in reducing the rate of shoot growth - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F TGRs have little or no deleterious effects - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F TGRs result in leaves that are smaller and slightly darker than normal - ✔✔True
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas with
high residential density and many trees - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas where
individual amenity trees must b reduced in height - ✔✔False
✔✔T/F Chemical and mechanical pruning methods should be restricted to areas with
strict regulations prohibiting arborists from climbing trees - ✔✔False
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Communication between vegetation managers, contractors,
supervisors, and workers should be both written and verbal
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Long-term planning is strategic, while short-term planning is tactical
✔✔specifications - ✔✔documents that describe, instruct, and direct work results
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on 3-
phase lines than on single-phase lines
,✔✔just in time management - ✔✔a results based strategy designed to target trees as
close as possible to the time that they interfere with facilities
✔✔work breakdown structure - ✔✔a prioritized outline of job components that must be
completed for a successful project outcome
✔✔True - ✔✔For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered
cost centers that do no generate income
✔✔purchases of equipment or line construction - ✔✔capital expenses
✔✔True - ✔✔Time and material contracts, which are based on hourly rates for labor
and equipment, are generally low risk for contractors and high risk for utilities
✔✔unit price contract - ✔✔Type of contract gaining popularity because the
responsibility for productivity, work planning, and scheduling rest with the contractor
✔✔straight line - ✔✔Depreciation in which costs are spread out over the lifetime of an
item
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F cycle based work planning is a valid utility management approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F results based work planning is a valid utility management approach
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Objective based work planning is a valid utility management
approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Crisis management work planning is a valid utility management
approach
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
skill, work, objectives, tactics
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
Scope, Want, Observation, Talent
✔✔False - ✔✔F/T SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool and an acronym, meaning
Safety, Weaknesses, Objectives, Targets
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost about the same
, ✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost one and a half times as much
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance
can cost twice as much
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F Relative to the cost of routine maintenance, reactive maintenance can
cost five times as much
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Time is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔True - ✔✔T/F skill is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F cost is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F scope is not a part of the constraint triangle
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, low pay is the most common
reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, workload is the most
common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F With respect to personnel management, relationships with co-
workers is the most common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔True - ✔✔With respect to personnel management, treatment from supervisors is the
most common reason that people leave jobs
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Communication between vegetation managers, contractors,
supervisors, and workers should be verbal first and optionally written
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Long-term planning is tactical, while short-term planning is strategic
✔✔False - ✔✔T/F Research has shown that trees are more likely to cause outages on
single-phase lines than on 3-phase lines
✔✔False - ✔✔For most utilities, vegetation management departments are considered
cost centers that generate income
✔✔operating expenses - ✔✔supply purchases or salaries
