Your work. Your records.
Tree Trimmer and Pruner Workplace Records
Tree trimming may involve climbing, lift equipment and coordination with workers handling branches below. An employment concern needs the task and direction assigned to you. Describe the work setting generally, distinguishing your own observation from a later explanation of an incident or property condition.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Crew sequence
List the role you performed and who directed changes between trimming and debris work.
Equipment concern
Describe the problem reported and response without testing or reproducing the condition.
Own hours
Connect your personal entries with preparation, assigned travel and cleanup tasks.
Start with the work you actually do
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Tree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines.Source task 13120 · updated 08/2018
- Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools.Source task 13113 · updated 08/2018
- Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers.Source task 13116 · updated 08/2018
- Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment.Source task 13115 · updated 08/2018
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Tree Trimmers and Pruners (SOC 37-3013). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $18.08 | $19.95 | $23.43 | $41,500 |
| Arizona | $22.11 | $24.36 | $26.43 | $50,680 |
| Arkansas | $21.62 | $21.95 | $23.01 | $45,650 |
| Connecticut | $23.48 | $23.52 | $31.69 | $48,930 |
| Delaware | $23.06 | $23.72 | $28.39 | $49,330 |
| Florida | $18.45 | $22.15 | $23.50 | $46,070 |
| Georgia | $18.47 | $22.55 | $25.27 | $46,910 |
| Hawaii | $22.27 | $27.40 | $31.89 | $56,990 |
| Idaho | $20.07 | $21.08 | $24.50 | $43,840 |
| Indiana | $19.36 | $22.14 | $25.07 | $46,050 |
| Iowa | $13.79 | $20.62 | $26.61 | $42,890 |
| Kansas | $22.32 | $23.27 | $27.93 | $48,400 |
| Kentucky | $18.53 | $21.35 | $22.17 | $44,410 |
| Louisiana | $19.32 | $22.77 | $28.02 | $47,350 |
| Maine | $19.27 | $22.32 | $27.12 | $46,430 |
| Michigan | $24.29 | $27.67 | $29.10 | $57,550 |
| Minnesota | $34.41 | $37.24 | $37.24 | $77,460 |
| Mississippi | $17.20 | $19.98 | $23.13 | $41,560 |
| Missouri | $22.52 | $29.40 | $31.77 | $61,140 |
| Montana | $24.46 | $28.65 | $29.87 | $59,580 |
| Nebraska | $18.07 | $18.94 | $20.98 | $39,380 |
| New Hampshire | $24.73 | $28.68 | $28.68 | $59,660 |
| New Mexico | $21.89 | $22.76 | $28.44 | $47,330 |
| New York | $22.99 | $30.00 | $38.00 | $62,400 |
| North Carolina | $19.64 | $23.31 | $29.26 | $48,480 |
| North Dakota | $18.47 | $21.55 | $22.23 | $44,820 |
| Ohio | $22.87 | $23.87 | $26.35 | $49,650 |
| Oklahoma | $21.42 | $22.57 | $24.42 | $46,950 |
| Pennsylvania | $22.95 | $27.98 | $30.89 | $58,200 |
| Rhode Island | $29.35 | $29.35 | $29.35 | $61,040 |
| South Dakota | $22.07 | $24.25 | $29.34 | $50,430 |
| Tennessee | $19.59 | $22.76 | $23.64 | $47,350 |
| Texas | $18.53 | $19.17 | $22.03 | $39,880 |
| Utah | $26.77 | $27.35 | $31.79 | $56,890 |
| Vermont | $25.36 | $29.89 | $33.83 | $62,170 |
| Virginia | $21.92 | $23.34 | $25.95 | $48,550 |
| West Virginia | $23.55 | $23.62 | $27.27 | $49,140 |
| Wisconsin | $23.49 | $27.85 | $30.09 | $57,930 |
| Wyoming | $16.74 | $22.22 | $30.75 | $46,210 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Identify crew roles and instructions
Record whether you were trimming, operating equipment or handling debris and who directed the sequence. Note changes to the assigned area or method and any request for clarification. Separate a condition you observed before the work from damage or other concerns reported later.
Explain preparation and cleanup
List tool preparation, travel between assigned sites, equipment checks and cleanup relevant to your own hours. Record weather or access interruptions and the supervisor response. Use your personal time entry rather than estimating a workday from vehicle movement or the time spent aloft.
Preserve safe and private boundaries
Do not climb, operate a chipper or return to a property solely to recreate evidence. Leave client addresses, utility details and restricted incident records in approved systems. Identify record types and keep your own report acknowledgment, training and employment feedback separately.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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