What is IAA Advanced Training?
The IAA Advanced Training Program is built for individual arborists looking to expand their professional knowledge and practical skills. Complete domain-based courses with hands-on training, written/practical exams, and receive a Certificate of Completion.
IAA Advanced Training Domains:
Pest/Diagnosis & Management Domain (PDM)
Instructors:
Chelsie Abbott ~ Bill Black ~ Fredric Miller ~ Aaron Schulz
IAA Advanced Training modules and schedules for PDM domains provide additional training in diagnosis of plant problems, pest identification, and plant health care management strategies.
To complete the domain and receive a certificate of attendance, you will need to complete all of the required modules and (1) one elective.
| Insect & Mite Pests | Required (10 hour class) | No Scheduled Training | |
| Tree Diseases | Required (10 hour class) | September 4 Training | |
| Abiotic Diseases | Required (10 hour class) | No Scheduled Training | |
| Pesticide Safety & Application | Required | No Scheduled Training | |
| Intro to Plant Health Care/IPM | Elective (7.5 hour class) | No Scheduled Training | |
| Urban Soils And Nutrient Management | Elective | No Scheduled Training |
Tree Worker Domain (TW)
Instructors:
Dale Day ~ Eduardo Medina ~ Phil Prohaska ~ Don Roppolo ~ Jason Sochacki
IAA Advanced Training modules for the TW Domain provide knowledge and skill, with emphasis on Safe Work Practices, on climbing techniques; rigging techniques, tree felling, and tree & ornamental pruning. These classes provide hands-on training for small classes.
An individual must complete all the required and (1) one elective to receive a “Certificate of Attendance” for the module.
| Course Name | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRS Climbing | Required | Two 6-hour days | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Rigging Level 1 | Required | Two 6-hour days | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Pruning – from the ground | Required | One 6.5 hour day | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Felling | Required | One 6.5 hour day | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Chainsaw Safety, Sharpening, Safety & Ops | Elective | One 6.5 hour day | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Aerial Lift Safety & Ops | Elective | One 3.5 hour day | Attendees: 6 | No Scheduled Training |
| SRS Climbing | Elective | Two 6-hour days | Attendees: 6 | No Scheduled Training |
| Rigging Level 2 (Rigging Level 1 Prerequisite) | Elective | Two 6-hour days | Attendees: 7 | No Scheduled Training |
| Aerial Rescue (Arborist Tree Rescue) | Elective | One 6.5 hour day | Attendees: 6 | No Scheduled Training |
Tree Site & Selection Domain (TSS)
Instructors:
Chris Evans ~ Steve Lane ~ Jim Semelka ~ Roger Smith
IAA Advanced Training modules and schedules for the TSS domains provide additional training on proper plant selection, proper plant identification and knowledge of the site requirements.
To complete the Tree Site & Selection Domain and receive your Certificate of Completion, you must complete all the required modules and one (1) elective.
| Summer Tree Identification | Required | September 19th, 2025 |
| Winter Tree Identification | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Species Requirements | Required | September 5th, 2025 |
| Planting Methods & Selection | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Site Assessment & Design Principals | Required | October 10th, 2025 |
| Soil & Nutrient Management | Required | No Scheduled Training |
Urban Forestry Domain (UF)
Instructors:
Tony Dati ~ Bryon Doerr ~ Joe Hanson ~ Eric Hendrickson ~ Steve Lane ~ Jim Semelka
IAA Advanced Training modules for the UF domain provide training for the Urban Forester that helps them manage the urban forest and achieve desired outcomes.
An individual must complete all the required modules and one (1) elective to receive a “Certificate of Completion” for this domain.
| Urban Forestry Management Planning | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Tree Inventories: Options & Applied Use | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Urban Settings, Species, Stresses, and Strategies | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Tree Regulations & Legislative Concerns | Required | No Scheduled Training |
| Public Relations & Community Outreach | Elective | No Scheduled Tranining |
| Tree Risk Management in Urban Environments | Elective | August 15th, 2025 |
MATP and CATP
MATP and CATP are designed to fit the needs of your staff, in both the municipal and commercial sectors, and are completely customizable to fit the skill levels of your team. Training is offered at your facility during the weekdays and utilizes your equipment, so you have a complete understanding of the equipment that you are already using on a day to-day basis.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
“Funding support for IAA Advanced Training was provided by the Urban and Community Forestry Programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service Eastern Region. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.“