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 (35)
✍️ 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. Phytophthora cinnamomi root rot is particularly devastating to which ornamental tree commonly planted in Albuquerque landscapes?
Arizona cypress is highly susceptible to Phytophthora cinnamomi, which thrives under overwatering conditions common in urban landscapes.
3. Which failure mode is described as the separation of a branch or stem at a point other than a union or attachment point?
Stem failure (also called mid-stem or trunk failure) occurs when wood fractures along the stem rather than at a branch union or root plate.
4. When assessing a tree near Albuquerque utility lines, which defect most increases the urgency of risk mitigation?
Dead branches near energized conductors combine a high likelihood of failure with a target that creates public safety and utility outage risk, requiring urgent action.
5. The narrowleaf cottonwood (Populus angustifolia) differs from Fremont cottonwood most noticeably by its:
Narrowleaf cottonwood has willow-like, lance-shaped leaves that are far narrower than the broad triangular leaves of Fremont cottonwood.
6. Which management strategy best reduces the risk of bark beetle attacks on stressed pines in an Albuquerque urban landscape during drought?
Maintaining tree vigor through deep supplemental irrigation is the most effective cultural practice for drought mitigation, as healthy pines produce resin that repels and kills invading bark beetles.
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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. We have not yet matched this exam's facts to an official source, so confirm fees, dates and rules with the exam body. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy