N.J. Admin. Code § 7:3A-7.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:3A-7.2 - Continuing education programs and courses

(a) A licensee may obtain continuing education credit for the following types of educational activities:

1. Attendance at or teaching of courses or programs approved by the Board pursuant to (b) below; and

2. Attendance at or teaching of seminars, courses, conferences, or other programs, if the Board is satisfied that it is appropriate for the purpose of keeping the licensee apprised of advancements and new developments in the profession.

i. A suitable program for a licensed tree expert might, for example, be a program focused on any subject covered in the tree expert licensure examination, such as pruning, insects and diseases, planting, fertilization, lightning protection, tree identification, diagnosing tree problems, and cabling and bracing:; and

ii. A suitable program for a licensed tree care operator might, for example, be a program focused on any subject covered in the tree care operator licensure examination, such as general workplace safety, tree identification, tree physiology, and safe use of equipment;

3. Attendance or teaching and successful completion of undergraduate or graduate course work relevant to arboriculture or urban forestry beyond that required for professional licensure and approved by the Board, at an accredited university with a maximum of nine credits allowed for each course;

4. Attendance at or teaching of courses, programs, or seminars offered by universities that are directly related to the practice of arboriculture;

5. Completion of a continuing education quiz published by an arboricultural organization approved by the Board as a provider of quizzes. A participant who completes the quiz with a minimum score of 70 percent may receive the number of credits assigned to the quiz by the organization that offers the quiz. A list of approved organizations is posted on the Board's website at www.njtreeexperts.org; and

6. Preparation of a paper, publication or presentation, provided the subject matter of the paper, publication, or presentation is directly related to the practice or theory of arboriculture or urban forestry, as determined by the Board. One credit will be awarded for every two pages of arboricultural content. The paper, publication, or presentation shall be submitted to the Board's e-mail address or to its physical mailing address as posted on the Board's website at www.njtreeexperts.org for its review to determine the number of credits to be granted.

(b) If an educational activity is not one that has been pre-qualified pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:3A-7.5(a), at the request of a licensee, the Board will make a determination as to whether it will approve continuing education credit for participation in the activity and the maximum number of credits it will allow to be taken for the activity.

1. To obtain advance approval, the licensee shall submit to the Board, at least 45 days prior to the activity, or the initiation of the activity, as applicable, a description of the activity, such as an announcement of the activity published by its sponsor, including the dates and hours of the activity; and

2. To obtain approval after the activity has occurred, the licensee shall submit to the Board a description of the activity, such as the description provided by its sponsor, including dates and hours of the program, together with written verification by the sponsor of the licensee's attendance or participation.

(c) Once the Board has pre-qualified an offering pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:3A-7.5 or approved an educational activity for continuing education credit at the request of licensee pursuant to (b) above, the Board will post notice on its website at www.njtreeexperts.org that the event has been approved for continuing education credit. Such posting indicates that any licensee may obtain continuing education credit for participating in the activity.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:3A-7.2

Adopted by 49 N.J.R. 743(a), effective 4/17/2017