What the Credential Is
The ISA Board Certified Master Arborist (BCMA) is the highest level of certification offered by the International Society of Arboriculture. The ISA describes it as recognizing "ISA Certified Arborists who have reached the pinnacle of their profession," and states plainly that fewer than two percent of all ISA Certified Arborists currently hold this certification. Christopher Johnson of Branch Tree Service holds it under ISA number FL-6502BU.
It is worth being precise about what that means. "Certified Arborist" is already a real credential with a real exam. Master Arborist sits a full tier above it, and the gap between the two is where most of the judgment in this trade lives: not can this tree be cut down, but should it be, what will happen to the tree beside it, what the property owner's actual liability is, and what a defensible written record of that decision looks like.
What It Takes to Earn It
The BCMA is not a class you sit through. Per the ISA, a candidate must already be an ISA Certified Arborist in good standing, and must then demonstrate a sufficient combination of measurable experience, formal education, related credentials, and professional experience simply to qualify to sit for the exam.
The exam itself is described by the ISA as an extensive scenario-based exam — not a multiple-choice quiz on tree names, but a series of real situations that have to be reasoned through the way they would be on a job site. Candidates must also abide by a Code of Ethics, which the ISA says "ensures quality of work."
The practical effect of those requirements is a long runway. You cannot shortcut into a Master Arborist credential; you arrive at it after years of doing the work, and after proving you can defend your reasoning to a board.
What Changes on Your Property
Three things change when a Master Arborist runs the job.
Diagnosis before prescription. A declining oak has perhaps a dozen plausible causes: root severance from a driveway pour, girdling roots, a fungal decay column, soil compaction, salt intrusion, or something that will kill it no matter what anyone does. Removing the tree is a valid answer to exactly one of those. Master-level training is about telling them apart before anything is cut.
Work that holds up in writing. Insurance claims, permit applications, HOA board disputes, and litigation all turn on documentation, and documentation is only as credible as the person who signed it. A BCMA's report carries weight in those rooms that a verbal opinion never will.
Access to work others cannot bid. Many municipal and county requests for proposal require a Board Certified Master Arborist on staff as a condition of submitting a bid at all. The credential is a gate, and being on the right side of it is why a company this size competes for public contracts.
Services This Credential Leads
Every job Branch Tree Service performs is supervised under this credential, but a few services exist because of it: consulting arborist reports, tree appraisals and valuations, expert witness and litigation support, tree inventories and urban forestry plans, and municipal tree contracts. On the crew side, it is what makes a hard removal or a structural oak pruning a considered decision rather than a default one.
BCMA — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a Certified Arborist and a Board Certified Master Arborist?
Both are ISA credentials, but Master Arborist is the higher tier. A Certified Arborist has passed the ISA's certification exam. A Board Certified Master Arborist must already hold that certification in good standing, then demonstrate a qualifying combination of measurable experience, formal education, related credentials and professional experience, and pass an extensive scenario-based exam. The ISA states that fewer than two percent of ISA Certified Arborists hold the Master Arborist credential.
How can I verify an arborist's ISA credential?
The International Society of Arboriculture maintains a public credential verification tool on isa-arbor.com where you can look up an arborist by name or certification number. Christopher Johnson's ISA Board Certified Master Arborist number is FL-6502BU. Ask any tree company for their certification number, and be cautious with anyone who cannot give you one.
Do I need a Master Arborist for a simple tree removal?
Not for every job, and we will tell you when a job is straightforward. Master-level oversight matters most when the decision itself is in question: a tree that may be savable, a removal near a structure or power line, a permit or insurance claim that needs documentation, or a dispute where someone will read the report later. Branch Tree Service supervises every job under the credential regardless of size, at no premium for it.
Does a Master Arborist credential mean higher prices?
Not in the way people expect. The credential is included in every job we quote, not billed as an upcharge. In practice it often lowers total cost, because correct diagnosis avoids removing trees that could have been pruned, prevents repeat visits for a misdiagnosed problem, and produces the documentation that gets an insurance claim or permit approved the first time.
Credential requirements on this page are drawn from the International Society of Arboriculture's own published program information: International Society of Arboriculture — ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. Verified 1 September 2026.