Botanist Certification

Professional certification for field and consulting botanists is good for the profession and good for the environment. Certification helps ensure that the most qualified people conduct California’s environmental reviews and that our decision-makers have the information they need to make sound land-use decisions.  That’s why CNPS and other leading botanical organizations have partnered to create a consulting botanist certification to formally recognize botanists that:

• Incorporate scientifically sound botanical principles in decision-making
• Meet a minimum set of standards in knowledge and experience
• Adhere to high ethical standards

Two levels of certification:  Field Botanist, Consulting Botanist

Those botanists that have become certified have each passed rigorous examinations to determine their knowledge and experience.  A total of four examinations have been developed to measure a botanist’s knowledge. Many of the test questions are based on years of experience, not from a course lecture.  Two of the exams measure the botanist’s knowledge and skill at identifying the California flora. The remaining two exams measure the botanist’s knowledge of terminology, taxonomy, floristics, statistics, field measurement and survey methods, vegetation ecology, environmental regulations and processes, and everything else that field and/or consulting botanist working in California needs to know.  The Certified Botanist has passed each exam with at least a score of 75%, as well as signing their name to a Botanist’s Code of Ethics that requires the Certified Botanist to hold and follow high professional standards in conduct.

Certified Field Botanist

The Field Botanist is competent in identifying native and naturalized plants found in California, and is able to use appropriate field survey methods and protocols that satisfy documentation and assessment requirements.  They can identify the dominant and characteristic plants that compose the California flora and know how to identify those native and naturalized species that they may not be able to identify on sight. They have a good grasp of botanical terminology and know how to conduct field surveys and map plant occurrences and populations that are necessary for laboratory analyses and/or impact assessments.  They can also monitor plant populations during and after construction, and perform monitoring of mitigation implementation (during and afterwards). The Certified Field Botanist knows how to characterize the botanical resources of a site and record their findings.

Certified Consulting Botanist

The Certified Consulting Botanist has satisfied all requirements of a Field Botanist, as well as demonstrated competence in document preparation, such as: describing baseline conditions of a study/project area, critically analyzing project-related impacts to botanical resources, developing feasible mitigation measures to avoid or compensate for identified impacts, and demonstrating a clear understanding of environmental laws and regulations pertaining to plants.  They know how to research environmental policies and regulations that apply to a variety of projects and how to document the existing conditions of a project site or study area. The Certified Consulting Botanist knows how to assess project-related impacts to the botanical resources of the site and whether those impacts are considered signification pursuant to environmental regulations, whether they be federal, state, or local. They also can develop feasible mitigation measures to reduce any significant impacts to less-than-significant levels, and are adept at assisting clients through the environmental permitting process, at least as far as the botanical resources are concerned.

Upcoming Exam Dates

The next Botanist Certification Exam will take place on August 11, 2023 in Davis, CA. Click the register button below to sign up.

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Contact us

For more information about California Botanist Certification, contact David Magney at dmagney@cnps.org .

Do you or a group want to become certified? Email David at dmagney@cnps.org to let us know you are interested and your location.