C-49 Tree and Palm exam questions, with answers

10 practice questions for the CSLB Tree and Palm trade exam, each with the answer, a plain explanation and the source it rests on.

From our free C-49 test · Updated 14 October 2026

These are not real exam questions. CSLB does not release its test questions or answer keys, and nobody else has them. We write our own questions from the C-49 outline and the codes, standards and references CSLB lists for the exam. Each answer names its source so you can check it.

The C-49 exam has 5 sections. The questions below are grouped by section, with the share of the exam each one carries. Read the question, pick an answer, then open “Show the answer”. The other questions of the free test, scored section by section, are in the free 25-question C-49 test.

Planning and Estimating · 22% of the exam

Reviewing project plans; evaluating job sites; identifying trees and palms; calculating project costs.

1. The project arborist on a home remodel has marked where tree protection fences will go around two oaks before work starts. According to ISA's Avoiding Tree Damage During Construction, what should be attached to those fences?

  1. Painted marks showing where the trench lines will run
  2. The city's permit card and the general contractor's license
  3. Reflectors and lights so the fence is seen at night
  4. Signs saying why to stay out and who to call to get in
Show the answer

Answer: D. ISA's leaflet says fences should carry signs telling people why they should stay out and whom to contact if they need to get in. The sign keeps crews from moving or entering the fence without asking the arborist. Lights, permit cards and trench marks are not what the leaflet asks for.

Source: ISA, Avoiding Tree Damage During Construction: Pre-Construction Phase

2. On a commercial job, you find that the concrete trucks are being rinsed out on bare soil a few feet from a large tree that is to be saved. According to ISA's Avoiding Tree Damage During Construction, how does this harm the tree?

  1. The rinse water seals the soil surface, so the roots slowly drown
  2. The wet concrete hardens around the roots and girdles them in place
  3. The runoff changes soil chemistry and reduces root growth and function
  4. The rinse water draws borers that lay their eggs in the lower trunk
Show the answer

Answer: C. ISA lists heat and chemical damage: when spilled fuels and runoff from cleaning concrete delivery vehicles seep into the soil, soil chemistry changes and root growth and function are reduced. Washout areas belong away from the root zones of kept trees. Surface sealing, girdling by concrete and borers are not the harm the leaflet names.

Source: ISA, Avoiding Tree Damage During Construction: Heat and Chemical Damage

Tree and Palm Installation · 10% of the exam

Installing trees and palms; soil amendments; cabling, bracing and guying.

3. A client wants a large field-dug Mexican fan palm moved into her yard, and the root ball will lose many roots when it is dug. According to ISA's leaflet Palms, when is the best time to transplant a palm like this?

  1. In the middle of winter, while the cold keeps the palm fully dormant
  2. At the beginning of the warm season, early to late spring
  3. In late fall, just after the first cool nights arrive
  4. Any month of the year, as long as it is watered daily
Show the answer

Answer: B. ISA's Palms leaflet says palms dug from a field, where root disturbance can be severe, are best transplanted at the beginning of the warm season, early to late spring depending on location. Container palms, whose roots are not disturbed, can go in almost year-round. Winter and late-fall moves are not what the leaflet recommends for field-dug palms.

Source: ISA, Palms: When to Plant, ISA, Palms (TreesAreGood leaflet, 2021)

4. An old cable in a client's codominant oak is worn out, and your climber will replace it with a new cable. Under 8 CCR 3427, in what order must this be done?

  1. Cut the old cable and install the new one the same day
  2. Loosen the old cable halfway, then install the new cable
  3. Fully install the new cable before removing the old one
  4. Remove the old cable first, then install the new one
Show the answer

Answer: C. 8 CCR 3427(e)(5) says that when a replacement cable is installed, it must be fully installed before the outdated cable is removed. This keeps the weak union supported the whole time. Taking the old cable off first, cutting it, or loosening it leaves the stems without support while the climber works.

Source: 8 CCR §3427(e)(5), Cal. Code Regs. Title 8, §3427 Safe Work Procedures (Tree Work)

Pruning and Maintenance · 25% of the exam

Defining pruning objectives; rigging branches; identifying maintenance needs; fertilizing trees and palms.

5. Your crew is structurally pruning young street trees, and most cuts are on small twigs and branches. According to ISA's leaflet Pruning Young Trees, which hand pruners are preferred, and why?

  1. Anvil pruners, because their single blade stays sharp much longer in use
  2. Bypass (scissor-type) pruners, because they make cleaner, more accurate cuts
  3. Anvil pruners, because the flat anvil holds thin stems steady while cutting
  4. Bypass (scissor-type) pruners, because they can cut branches of any size
Show the answer

Answer: B. ISA's Pruning Young Trees says scissor-type or bypass-blade hand pruners are preferred over the anvil type because they make cleaner, more accurate cuts. It also says cuts larger than one-half inch in diameter should be made with lopping shears or a pruning saw, so no hand pruner is meant for branches of any size.

Source: ISA, Pruning Young Trees: Pruning Tools, ISA, Pruning Young Trees (TreesAreGood leaflet, 2021)

6. Your climber is removing a dead limb from a large ash, and a ring of live bark tissue (a collar) has grown out along the dead limb. According to ISA's leaflet Pruning Mature Trees, where does the cut go?

  1. Through the middle of the collar, to remove half
  2. Just beyond the collar, leaving the collar uncut
  3. About 12 inches out, leaving a stub to dry out
  4. Flush with the trunk, removing the collar as well
Show the answer

Answer: B. ISA says that if a collar has grown out on a dead limb, the cut is made just beyond the collar, and the collar itself is not cut. A flush cut kills trunk tissue above and below it. Cutting into the collar wounds the tree, and a long stub is not a finished pruning cut.

Source: ISA, Pruning Mature Trees: Making Proper Pruning Cuts, ISA, Pruning Mature Trees (TreesAreGood leaflet, 2021)

Tree and Palm Removal · 13% of the exam

Conducting risk assessments; felling and removing; removing tree stumps.

7. Before felling a tree, a new worker starts his chain saw by pushing the saw away with one hand while pulling the starter cord with the other (a drop start). What does the Cal/OSHA Tree Work Safety Guide (2025) say?

  1. Drop starting is fine if the chain brake is set before the cord is pulled
  2. Drop starting is fine on the ground but never once up in the tree
  3. Drop starting is fine if the saw has a low-kickback chain fitted
  4. Never drop start; the saw ends up running while hanging by its cord
Show the answer

Answer: D. The Cal/OSHA guide says never drop start a chain saw: the saw ends up running while dangling by its starter cord instead of being held securely by the operator. Start it on the ground or on a firm support, or braced between the legs with the chain pointed away. A chain brake or low-kickback chain does not make a drop start acceptable.

Source: Cal/OSHA Tree Work Safety Guide (2025): Chain Saw Safety, Starting a Chain Saw

8. Your company is buying a used stump cutter for its crews. Under Cal/OSHA's stump cutter rule, 8 CCR 3428, what must the machine be equipped with?

  1. A seat belt and a rollover protective frame
  2. A backup alarm and a flashing amber light
  3. A remote kill switch for the ground worker
  4. Enclosures or guards to protect employees
Show the answer

Answer: D. 8 CCR 3428(a) says stump cutters shall be equipped with enclosures or guards to protect employees. Section 3428(b) adds that everyone in the immediate area of grinding, including the operator, wears the required PPE. Seat belts, alarms and remote kill switches are not what 3428 requires.

Source: 8 CCR §3428(a), Cal. Code Regs. Title 8, §3428 Stump Cutters

Safety · 30% of the exam

Personal protective equipment (PPE); escape routes during removal; working in elevated areas; site protection and traffic control.

9. Your climber comes down from a removal and wants to start feeding the chipper right away, still wearing his saddle with the lanyard and rope hanging from it. What does the Cal/OSHA Tree Work Safety Guide (2025) say?

  1. Keep the saddle on, but have a helper hold the rope while feeding
  2. Keep the saddle on, but feed only from the side away from the rope
  3. Keep the saddle on, but clip the lanyard tight so it cannot hang down
  4. Take off ropes, belts, harnesses and lanyards before running the chipper
Show the answer

Answer: D. The Cal/OSHA guide's chipper training topics say operators should not wear ropes, body belts, harnesses or lanyards while operating a chipper. A dangling rope can snag on a limb and pull the operator into the machine. Clipping the lanyard up or feeding from one side does not remove that snag hazard.

Source: Cal/OSHA Tree Work Safety Guide (2025): Woodchipper Safety, Training (operator safety)

10. A qualified line-clearance tree trimmer on your crew uses rubber insulating gloves with leather protectors near high-voltage lines. Under the High-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders, 8 CCR 2940.6, what must be done with the gloves every day?

  1. Send them out for an electrical test before they are used each morning
  2. Turn them inside out and dust them with talc at the end of each shift
  3. Inspect them only after they have touched a branch or a conductor
  4. Visually inspect them for defects and damage and clean them before use
Show the answer

Answer: D. 8 CCR 2940.6(a)(8) says insulating equipment shall be visually inspected for defects and damage, and cleaned, before use each day. Electrical re-testing is done at set periodic intervals, not every morning. Waiting until after a contact to look at the gloves misses damage before it can hurt someone.

Source: 8 CCR §2940.6(a)(8), Cal. Code Regs. Title 8, §2940.6 Tools and Protective Equipment (High-Voltage Electrical Safety Orders)

Where to go from here

How the license works, from experience to fees: how to get a C-49 license. Everything about the course: the C-49 exam page.

Questions from our free C-49 test, written from CSLB License Examination Study Guide, Tree and Palm (C-49), form 13E-49 (03-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after January 1, 2024. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Study guidance only; we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.

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