Exam Bulletin - TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER

Department of General Services

Exam Code: EX-2078

Examination Plans Included:

  • TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Classification Details

TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER: $4,728.00 - $5,695.00 per Month

View the TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER classification specification.

Application Instructions

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

  • 7/19/2024
  • 8/2/2024
  • 9/6/2024
  • 10/4/2024
  • 11/1/2024
  • 12/6/2024
  • 1/3/2025
  • 2/7/2025
  • 3/7/2025
  • 4/4/2025
  • 5/2/2025
  • 6/6/2025

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will be processed in the next group.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

    2078

For TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-02078

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

You may apply by mail to:

  • Department of General Services
    Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
    P.O. Box 989052
    West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

  • Department of General Services
    Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
    707 3rd Street
    West Sacramento, CA 95605, CA 95605
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678). All applicants must provide proof of identification. Accepted forms of identification are: 1) a photo identification card or 2) two forms of signed identification.

*Visitors to the Department of General Services must be escorted at all times. Applicants must use the telephone provided in the Lobby to contact the Office of Human Resources at (916) 376-5400 OR email DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov to set up an appointment to drop off their application.

Do not submit applications to the California Department of Human Resources.

Applications with an original or electronic signature will be accepted.

Dates printed on mobile barcodes or equivalent mobile print technology shall not be considered postmarks and, as such, are not acceptable proof of the date an application was filed.

Applications MUST include “to” and “from” dates (month/day/year), time base, civil service class title(s), and range (if applicable) for all work experience. College course information MUST include title, number of semester or quarter units, name of institution, completion dates, and degree (if applicable). Applications received without this information may have delays in processing and/or may be rejected.

The following items must be submitted with your Examination/Employment Application form. Failure to submit these items may result in rejection of your application.

  • License - Class 3 Driver License

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

00100748 - TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER

Possession of a valid Class 3 driver license. Applicants who do not possess this license will be admitted to the examination but must secure the license prior to appointment.

Either I

 

Nine months of experience in the California state service assigned to a tree maintenance crew, performing duties comparable in level to those of a Service Assistant (Maintenance) including tree trimming and climbing work on trees of more than 40 feet in height.

Or II

 

One year of experience in tree trimming, including climbing work, on trees of more than 40 feet in height.

Position Description

00100748 - TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER

Typical Tasks

Climbs trees by means of ropes or spurs; uses safety belt and other required rigging; trims or removes limbs and branches; uses both power and hand saws and similar equipment; treats cut surfaces to protect from fungi and insects; lowers cut limbs and branches by lines; occasionally fells and removes entire tree; plants, cultivates, and irrigates trees; cuts brush and weeds along the transportation facility right of way, and in State facilities; maintains and cares for tree climbing and trimming equipment; acts as a flagger for traffic control; uses aerial equipment and pneumatic tools; and applies chemicals for insect, disease, and weed control.

Special Personal Characteristics

Physical strength and agility.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1Supplemental ReportWith Application100%

Components that are due with your application will be scored and will count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items may result in disqualification or elimination from the examination.

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

Complete and submit the following items with your application. These will be scored and count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items will result in disqualification from the examination.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of: Various ropes, knots, and splices used in tree trimming work; different cuts used for felling and limb removal; safety regulations and practices; appropriate rigging procedures; different types of climbing methods; pruning techniques; rope strengths in conjunction with wood weights; basic mathematics including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; operation and service requirements of various types of specialized equipment; and different types of wood in terms of ease or resistance to cuts.

 

Ability to: Climb trees in excess of 40 feet in height by means of belts, spurs, and ropes; perform tree trimming tasks at considerable heights above the ground; coordinate body movements with tasks to be performed; select and apply knowledge appropriate to job tasks; communicate in a clear and concise manner; do the necessary rigging and tying various knots used in tree trimming work; follow oral and written instructions and location directions; learn new methods and techniques; make independent decisions; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships; and read and write English at a level required for successful job performance.

Eligible List Information

A Servicewide Open eligible list for the TREE MAINTENANCE WORKER Classification will be established for:

  • Department of General Services

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 24 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATION

Here is a list of suggested resources to have available prior to taking the exam.

To streamline the examination process, please create a CalCareer Account with CalHR. A CalCareer Account is a one stop shop for taking civil service examinations, applying for state jobs, and provides storage and organization for your documents and communications stemming from job opportunities, all in a paperless format. To sign up for a CalCareer Account, or log in to your existing account, Click here.

Employment History: Employment dates, job titles, organization names and addresses, names of supervisors or persons who can verify your job responsibilities, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

Education: School names and addresses, degrees earned, dates attended, courses taken (verifiable on a transcript), persons or office who can verify education, and phone numbers of persons or offices listed above.

Training: Class titles, certifications received, names of persons who can verify your training, and phone numbers of persons listed above.

Testing Departments

  • Department of General Services

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of General Services
Department of General Services - OHR
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
Phone: (916) 376-5400
DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of General Services reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)
By Mail
In Person (see bulletin for details)
Alternate Application Process

While we recommend that you utilize your CalCareer Account to take advantage of all the tools available, you may choose to apply for this examination without using your account. In this case, print and complete the Exam Application Package Checklist and include it if you submit a hard copy application.

Exam Application Package Checklist

Blank Application Form (STD678)

Accommodation Request (STD679)