CATS Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CATS exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CATS Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CATS Topics to Study (21)
✍️ Sample CATS Questions & Answers
1. Why is it recommended to remove wire baskets and burlap from rootballs during planting?
Non-degraded wire and burlap can girdle roots and restrict outward growth for years, ultimately weakening tree structure.
2. When a tree is wounded, it responds by forming chemical and physical barriers to resist the spread of decay. This defensive process, described by Dr. Alex Shigo, is known as:
Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees (CODIT) is the model that describes how trees 'wall off' or compartmentalize injured and infected tissue to prevent the decay from spreading into healthy wood. This process involves four 'walls' that form barriers against the pathogen.
3. When making a final pruning cut to remove a branch from the trunk, what two anatomical features are the primary guides for the correct angle and placement?
The proper location for a final pruning cut is just outside the branch bark ridge and the branch collar. The branch bark ridge helps determine the angle of the cut from the top, while the branch collar at the base should be left completely intact to allow for proper wound closure and compartmentalization.
4. What is the primary purpose of a slow-release fertilizer formulation compared to a soluble fertilizer?
Slow-release fertilizers reduce the risk of fertilizer burn by releasing nutrients gradually, providing extended availability over the growing season.
5. Which soil condition most commonly limits tree establishment in Albuquerque?
Albuquerque soils often have a high pH and a subsurface caliche layer that physically blocks roots and impedes water infiltration.
6. What does ANSI Z133 require regarding a chainsaw when it is not in active use aloft?
A tethered saw prevents a dropped chainsaw from becoming a fatal projectile for ground personnel.