ANSI A300 Standards are divided into multiple parts, each focusing on a specific aspect of woody plant management (e.g. Pruning, Fertilization, etc) and are used to develop written specifications for work assignments, not to be used as specifications in and of themselves.

ANSI A300 standards apply to professionals who provide for or supervise the management of trees, shrubs, and other woody landscape plants. Intended users include businesses, government agencies, property owners, property managers, and utilities. The standards do not apply to agriculture, horticultural production, or silviculture, except where explicitly noted otherwise.

Prior to 1991, various industry associations and practitioners developed their own standards and recommendations for tree care practices. Recognizing the need for a standardized, scientific approach, green industry associations, government agencies and tree care companies agreed to develop consensus for an official American National Standard.

The result, ANSI A300 standards, unify and take authoritative precedence over all previously existing tree care industry standards. ANSI requires that approved standards be developed according to accepted principles, and that they be reviewed and, if necessary, revised every five years.

These standards have been developed by TCIA, an ANSI-accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO). TCIA is secretariat of the ANSI A300 standards, and develops standards using procedures accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  Consensus for standards writing was developed by the Accredited Standards Committee on Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management Operations – Standard Practices, A300 (ASC A300).

TCIA was accredited as a standards developing organization with ASC A300 as the consensus body on June 28, 1991. ASC A300 meets regularly to write new, and review and revise existing ANSI A300 standards. The committee includes industry representatives with broad knowledge and technical expertise from residential and commercial tree care, utility, municipal and federal sectors, landscape and nursery industries, and other interested organizations.