Education

University of Massachusetts Amherst

B.S., Biology, Tree Community Ecology

2008

Podcasts

34:36

156: How to Build a Career Around a Love of Trees and Nature w/ Matthew Barker, Arborist [Main T4C episode]

Arborist Matthew Barker puts his expertise and passion into practice in his position as an arborist for the city of Alexandria, Virginia. His days include examining trees and assessing their health and well being, as well as planning strategic tree plantings that maximize the human health and wellness benefits of..

17:51

117: How to Break Into Arboriculture & Urban Forestry w/ Matthew Barker, Arborist [Espresso Shots]

Career Path

Interview Highlights

“All the work that all the arborists do across the country and the world, they help trees live healthy lives that also impart benefits to everybody else around them, so it’s quite a noble endeavor as well.”

Best Career Advice

“Never stop pushing. Never stop advancing your career. Never stop looking for opportunities that are out there.”

Career Challenge

“The hardest part of my career was really when I was first starting out. I was new to the industry. I accepted a position as a tree care apprentice … And tree work is very demanding, physically demanding, mentally demanding, especially when you’re a newcomer … I wasn’t fully prepared for how physically demanding and mentally taxing it would be … but I feel like it really helped to prepare me for all the hard work that was to come … So that first summer I’d say was filled with a lot of adversity, but it really instilled in me the importance of a positive mental attitude.”