Standards of Professional Practice

American Society of Consulting Arborist ® (ASCA) members agree to abide by the Standards of Professional Practice as a condition of membership. The Standards of Professional Practice provide guidance for members to govern their professional conduct.

Code of Ethics

This Code of Ethics applies to persons holding or having applied to hold American Society of Consulting Arborists® (ASCA) membership, or certificates, collectively referred to herein as an "ASCA Professionals." ASCA Professionals ascribe to and agree to be bound by the following Ethical Standards:

1. An ASCA Professional shall not engage in deceptive or fraudulent conduct in the provision of professional services or the operation of a consulting arboriculture business.
   
   
2. An ASCA Professional shall not, without the express, prior written consent of ASCA and except as specifically permitted by ASCA, use or reproduce, in whole or in part, or aid another in using or reproducing, in an manner or fashion, any examination materials (or the contents thereof), certificates, logos, abbreviations, emblems, titles, marks or other documents or property of ASCA.
   
   
3. An ASCA Professional shall not, without written authorization from ASCA to do so, possess, use, or have access to any ASCA examination documents or materials, nor shall an ASCA Professional receive any unauthorized assistance prior to or during the conduct of any portion of an ASCA examination. An ASCA Professional may share with others general information regarding their examination experience, but may not divulge to others specifics regarding the content of the examination, including exam questions and the weight given to exam topics.
   
   
4. An ASCA Professional shall not make any material misrepresentation of fact during application for ASCA membership levels, certificates, and shall not fail to disclose any material fact the disclosure of which is necessary to avoid having other statements be misleading. An ASCA Professional shall not engage in any act or omission to obtain or assist another in obtaining membership levels, certificates, by fraud, misrepresentation, or deception.
   
   
5.  An ASCA Professional having personal knowledge and evidence of a violation of any Ethical Standard by another ASCA Professional may report such violation by filing a written complaint with ASCA. Any such complaint shall include specific details and documentation regarding the identity of the person(s) involved in the alleged ethical violation. The identify of the complainant must be disclosed.
   
   
6. An ASCA Professional shall not knowingly, falsely accuse another ASCA Professional of violating these Ethical Standards.
   
   
7. An ASCA Professional shall cooperate with, and shall not obstruct,  ASCA in connection with any investigation or hearing under these Ethical Standards. 

Ethics Complaint Procedure

The ASCA Code of Ethics sets forth the Ethical Standards to which all persons who maintain ASCA membership levels or certificates, together with those who have applied for membership or to receive such certificates ("ASCA Professionals"), have subscribed. Our members agree to abided by the highest ethical standards, professionally. However, in the instance that you feel an ASCA Professional may have committed an unethical business action you may submit an Ethics Complaint for an objective review. Please review the Society's Ethics Complaint Procedure. 

A complaint of professional misconduct by an ASCA Professional must be in writing, accompanied by substantiating documentary evidence, and submitted in writing to the Ethical Standards Committee (asca@asca-consultants.org). A complaint may only be submitted by an ASCA Professional. A complaint may only be submitted once and may not be re-filed. The complaint must involve conduct that occurred within six (6) months of the date of the complaint. The complaint must include a detailed description of the nature of the alleged professional misconducts, as well as all pertinent facts and circumstances. The proceedings as a whole shall be treated confidentially, except to the extent required to complete the investigation, and except as provided herein in the event that certain disciplinary sanctions are imposed by the Board of Directors.