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Tree work standards timeline: publication and revision dates from the publishers' own pages

First publication, revision and replacement dates for the ANSI Z133 safety standard, BS 3998, BS 5837, AS 4373, AS 4970, the New Zealand code of practice for arboriculture and the SafeWork NSW tree works code, taken only from each standards body's or regulator's own catalogue and history pages.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Every date below comes from the publisher's catalogue record, publication history or news page as read on October 9, 2026. Where a page does not state a date, the table says so and no date is filled in from memory. Only catalogue and history pages were used, and no standard was opened to read its contents.

Dates by standard, with the page that states them
Standard and publisherDates and status as the page shows them
ANSI Z133, Safety and Health Requirements for Arboricultural Operations, International Society of Arboriculture pagesFirst publication date: Not published on the ISA pages read. A Tree Care Industry Association magazine article says ISA has been the secretariat for ANSI Z133.1 since 1971, which is a secretariat date and not an edition date. ISA says the previous edition was published in 2017 and was effective until May 27, 2026. A news item dated June 12, 2026 says the 2026 edition became available as of May 27, 2026 after ANSI approval. A February 17, 2026 news item says an ANSI audit of the revision process ran in 2024 and 2025. ISA's public review page records a first draft released for public comment on July 21, 2023 and a second public review that the page says was open until March 18, 2024.
ANSI A300, Tree Care Standards, ISA store pageThe Tree Care Industry Association says it was accredited as the standards developing organisation with the A300 committee as consensus body on June 28, 1991. Its magazine says ANSI A300 Part 1, Pruning, was published in 1995, that nine more parts followed over the next 15 years, and that all ten were combined into a single volume in 2023. The TCIA standards page adds that from January 1, 2024 the standards are sold as one consolidated document, that ANSI requires review every five years, and that the standards go through one review cycle for all parts at the same time. Dates for the later single-part editions: Not published on the pages read. The ISA store lists a consolidated 2023 book, and describes it as formerly sold as ten separate publications and holding the A300 parts as clauses 1 to 15. No earlier edition dates are stated on the store pages.
BS 3998 Tree work. Recommendations, BSIThe publication history in the foreword reads: first published March 1966, second edition May 1989, third (present) edition December 2010. BSI lists BS 3998:2010 as current, published December 31, 2010, and BS 3998:1989 as withdrawn. BSI describes the 2010 edition as a full revision.
BS 5837 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction. Recommendations, BSIThe foreword lists first published January 1980, second edition December 1991, third edition September 2005 and fourth (present) edition April 2012. BSI lists BS 5837:2012 as current and under review, published April 30, 2012, and BS 5837:2005 and BS 5837:1991 as withdrawn.
AS 4373 Pruning of amenity trees, Standards AustraliaThe Standards Australia store lists AS 4373-2007 as published March 14, 2007, with the status Pending Revision and a reconfirmation entry dated 2020. It records that the 2007 edition supersedes AS 4373-1996, published May 5, 1996, which is shown as superseded.
AS 4970 Protection of trees on development sites, Standards AustraliaAS 4970-2009 was published August 26, 2009 and is shown as superseded, with a reconfirmation entry dated 2020. It is replaced by AS 4970:2025, published May 30, 2025 and shown as current, which the store lists with an Amendment 1 dated December 19, 2025. The store records an earlier draft designation of 2024.
Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Arboriculture, WorkSafe New ZealandThe WorkSafe page carries the code with a notice of approval from the Minister of Labour but states no publication date, and the text calls a power line code of 2012 imminent. WorkSafe says the guidance has not been updated to reflect the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and its regulations.
Tree works code of practice, SafeWork NSWThe code's editorial note says it was approved under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW), that notice appeared in the Government Gazette on Friday, March 27, 2026, that it commenced on March 27, 2026, and that it replaces the 1998 Amenity Tree Industry Code of practice.
Canadian CSA standards for tree work equipment, CSA GroupNo official page found on October 9, 2026: the CSA store address tried returned an access refusal, so no edition dates are reported.

What the dates show

The two British standards are revised on long cycles: BSI's own foreword lists 23 years between the first and second edition of BS 3998 and 21 years between its second and third, while BS 5837 appears at seven to fourteen year gaps. The Australian pruning standard has been in the 2007 edition since March 14, 2007 and is marked Pending Revision, whereas the tree protection standard was replaced in 2025. The US safety standard took nine years between the 2017 and 2026 editions by ISA's own account.

A date on a catalogue page records publication, not when a regulator, employer or council began to rely on it. For how each standard is used in each country see the standards register, pruning standards by country and the Z133-2026 announcement page.

Sources