Doing tree work yourself or hiring: what regulators and trade bodies say

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It is not training and does not teach the work. Training for people who do this work is covered in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country.

What the trade bodies say

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) brochure on storm-related tree damage has a step headed "Resist the Urge to Do It Yourself". It says homeowners may be tempted to start debris cleanup before consulting an arborist, and lists hazards: working at height, retrieving fallen tree parts on buildings or in contact with utility services, and operating tree-cutting machinery and removal equipment. It says these operations, especially debris cleanup, are inherently dangerous and should be carried out by a professional arborist. The ISA page Why Hire an Arborist says pruning or removing trees, especially large trees, can be dangerous work, and that the people who do tree work should have the training and equipment to work safely in trees.

The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) page Hiring a Tree Care Company carries a section on owners who do not want to hire a professional. It says "For your safety, do not perform treework", and says TCIA keeps a monthly list of accident briefs taken from published reports on homeowners injured or killed doing their own tree work. It also says that if a tree care company has no insurance, the homeowner could be held responsible as a contractor.

What a university extension service says

South Dakota State University Extension, in its page on removing a stump, calls removing trees and disposing of the brush hazardous, and says professionals with the training and equipment are best placed to do it safely.

What the Health and Safety Executive says

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain writes for people who work with trees. Its leaflet page Chainsaws at work says the leaflet is written for employers, the self-employed and people who control how work equipment is used. HSE's page Are you a ...? says that by law chainsaw operators at work must have received adequate training relevant to the type of work, and must wear appropriate chainsaw protective clothing. It says HSE's investigations show most fatal and major chainsaw injuries involve operators taking shortcuts and not following good practice guidance. These statements are about work, and the pages do not say how the rules apply to a private owner.

Near power lines

The ISA brochure on recognizing tree risk says trees that fall onto utility lines can injure people and cause outages, surges and fires. It says never to try to take branches or other tree parts off lines or from near them, and never to go near downed power lines, which could still be conducting electricity, and that if tree parts are touching utility lines the local electricity provider is to be called. The guide on working near power lines sets out what regulators say about clearance distances.

What WorkSafe New Zealand said after storms

A WorkSafe New Zealand release of July 21, 2026, Storm-damaged trees: don't risk it, is addressed to farmers. It says some people were doing dangerous tree work themselves because experienced contractors were in short supply, and gives two unnamed examples of injuries: a fall of four metres while using a chainsaw on a partly fallen tree, and a deep chainsaw injury to a foot. It says storm-damaged trees can behave unpredictably because of hidden pressure that can release suddenly, and that this is not the same as cutting firewood. It says calling in a professional is the safer, smarter option.

At a glance

Source	What it says about owners doing the work
ISA	Debris cleanup and tree work are inherently dangerous and should be done by a professional arborist
TCIA	Says not to perform tree work, and keeps a monthly list of accident briefs
South Dakota State University Extension	Tree removal is hazardous and best done by professionals
HSE	Its chainsaw rules and leaflets are written for work, with training and clothing duties on those at work
WorkSafe New Zealand	Calling in a professional is the safer, smarter option after storms

To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.

Who to call

ISA Find an Arborist: finding and verifying individuals who hold an ISA credential
Working near power lines: what regulators say about distances; the ISA brochure says tree parts in contact with lines are a matter for the electricity provider
WorkSafe New Zealand, storm-damaged trees: the release on storm-damaged trees and where to find tree-felling information
Hiring an arborist: what the trade bodies say to look for in a tree company