Breaking the Mold

Why Diversity Matters in Arboriculture

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The term “diversity” is commonly discussed in today’s workplace, often focusing on employee demographics and the representation of different backgrounds within teams. While this conversation is critical and should remain ongoing, its true purpose can sometimes be lost in jargon and statistics.

As companies search for new talent and work to build cultures that retain employees, it may be time to redefine diversity. It is about more than meeting hiring goals — it is about ensuring every voice is heard and, ultimately, creating a safer workplace for everyone.

Everyone Has an Opportunity to Learn

With women comprising less than 10% of the tree care workforce, sisters Bear LeVangie and Melissa LeVangie Ingersoll recognized a need for specialized training and co-founded the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop (WTCW).

“We started in 2009 because there were no women trainers,” LeVangie said.

While the workshop focuses on women, the founders emphasized that everyone learns differently. They prioritize teaching effective communication within the industry, regardless of background, gender, or experience.

“We strive in our business to try to help others work with their language and their skill,” Ingersoll explained.

To them, diversity shines when individuals from different backgrounds learn from and support one another.

Changing the Stats

Drive past a tree care crew, and you might notice a pattern: most workers are white, and nearly all are men. According to treetrust.org 96.2% of arborists are male, and 65% are white. Hispanic or Latino workers make up 19.9%, while women and African American arborists represent less than 8% of the workforce. While these numbers paint a clear imbalance, professionals in the industry urge that the conversation goes well beyond statistics.

“Most people, in their minds, only live in a certain type of bubble,” said LeVangie.

To build a more diverse workforce, LeVangie believes the industry must shift its mindset about who belongs on an arborist crew.

Ingersoll said the industry often holds a narrow image of the “ideal” crew member — one that can exclude capable individuals, such as older workers.

Both LeVangie and Ingersoll believe tree care companies benefit from including a wide range of experiences and perspectives on their teams.

“I’ve always been amazed to watch how complete a crew can be when you have more diversity,” Ingersoll said. “It really helps bring more of a community together in the workplace.”

Why Diversity Is a Challenge

The physically demanding nature of the work and the razor-thin profit margins in arboriculture are major barriers to workplace diversity, according to LeVangie and Ingersoll.

“The margins are so small in arboriculture,” Ingersoll remarked.

Especially in larger firms that handle utility clearing contracts, the marketplace is highly competitive, making hiring and training a fast-paced process to meet tight deadlines and budgets.

LeVangie and Ingersoll said many new hires are onboarded with minimal training, resulting in an environment that may not empower the employees to speak up and ask questions.

“And they don’t have the courage to say something because they’re new or they don’t speak the language,” LeVangie explained. She noted that this could relate to the lingo of tree care, but it may also be due to limited English-speaking skills.

Adding Distinct Voices to Crews

In recent years, many industries have struggled with a lack of talent in the hiring pool. This challenge is even more prevalent in labor-intensive fields like tree care. However, LeVangie challenged this assumption.

“There are a lot of people who want to work and put their energy into something that feels good,” she said.

For companies struggling to hire, particularly those seeking to diversify their crews, Ingersoll encouraged expanding the search.

“Don’t look in the normal places,” Ingersoll said. “[And] be vulnerable to train people.”

Ingersoll also pointed out that in tree care, employers often seek a “unicorn” hire – someone who meets the right age and experience and can immediately perform at high standards. True to their namesake, these candidates are quite rare.

“If you’re having a hard time finding people, you’re not looking in the right places,” Ingersoll urged. “Think outside the box.”

This involves shifting the focus from finding the perfect candidate to investing in green hires. According to Ingersoll, the firms that commit to training newcomers to the industry are the ones that will reap the rewards.

“They want to put their heart into something that matters,” she explained.

LeVangie added that companies with homogenous crews should take a hard look at their internal practices and consider generational shifts in job expectations.

Adapting job descriptions can make a significant difference, too, especially when targeting younger generations. LeVangie encouraged arboriculture companies to emphasize the opportunity to learn about trees and service ecosystems, as this is more likely to attract those seeking a more meaningful career path.

Beyond the Hire

Through their work training women and working in arboriculture, LeVangie and Ingersoll have gained a unique perspective on what diversity really means.

“When people feel seen and heard, it’s a safer workplace,” LeVangie explained.

When employees feel unheard or afraid to speak up, it can create fear, division, and unsafe work environments. However, when arborist companies embrace diverse perspectives, they foster a culture of openness where ideas are shared, concerns are voiced, and safety can thrive.

More Than a Buzzword

The acronym “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) has elicited a range of reactions in the political and work spheres over the past few years. However, LeVangie and Ingersoll encouraged tree care companies to look beyond the noise and rhetoric surrounding the acronym, stating “it’s just a buzzword.”

To the WTCW co-founders, diversity supports a wide range of thoughts, invites people to share their perspectives, and encourages intentional hiring.

“[It’s saying], ‘We don’t care what you look like. We want people who fit our culture’,” Ingersoll said.

They acknowledged the current climate of fear around DEI topics, but LeVangie emphasized that embracing diversity leads to better outcomes.

“If you can go to work at a place you feel good at, you’re just naturally going to get that back,” Ingersoll said.

“Courage is contagious,” LeVangie added.

A Future Focused on Talent and Safety

Both LeVangie and Ingersoll agree the industry has work to do when it comes to improving diversity. Ingersoll envisions a future where crews are recognized for their skills, not their demographics.

“I want to get to a point when I’m driving down the road and we don’t see gender, we just see talented people,” she said.

The sisters emphasized that more public awareness is needed around what the tree care industry does. When people understand the work, it opens the door to conversations about who can be involved and what opportunities exist in arboriculture.

“We need to be preaching to the world the magic that we do,” LeVangie said.