A tree is down: who the official sources say to call, by situation
When a tree comes down in a storm, the International Society of Arboriculture, a Victorian council, Energy Safe Victoria and Manitoba Hydro each say who to call and what to keep clear of. This page sets their statements side by side by situation.
This page is for tree owners. It reports what the named sources say and is not advice about your tree: for that, ask a qualified arborist or one of the offices under Who to call.
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. It is not training and does not teach the work. It describes four sources in three countries. It does not describe the rest of any country, and the numbers shown belong to the place each source covers.
By situation
| Situation | What the named source says |
|---|---|
| Tree on or touching a power line | Energy Safe Victoria (Australia) says all incidents involving trees and powerlines are reported to the electricity distribution business, that fallen or broken lines can conduct electricity, and that if lives are in danger the call is 000. Manitoba Hydro (Canada) lists a tree resting on a line, sparking or burning lines as signs of immediate danger, and says that if lines are sparking or burning, stay at least 10 m (30 feet) away and call 911. |
| Tree on a public road or footpath | Whitehorse City Council (Victoria, Australia) says a branch on a road or path, or a broken branch hanging over one, is urgent, and that council trees are reported through its Snap Send Solve app. |
| Tree on private property | Whitehorse City Council says it cannot act on trees within private property, and points to a private tree contractor or the State Emergency Service on 132 500. |
| Tree on a house or other structure | The ISA brochure (United States) says fallen trees resting on roofs or other structures may continue to move, and lists calling local emergency services, the utility company or an arborist. |
| United Kingdom | No official page found on October 9, 2026 |
What ISA says
The ISA brochure Storm-Related Tree Damage sets out four steps: take safety precautions, assess the damage, resist the urge to do it yourself, and hire an arborist. Under safety it lists broken limbs hanging overhead, trees under tension that react unexpectedly when cut or moved, and damaged trees in direct or indirect contact with electrical wires. It says to keep away from damaged trees where possible and to phone the emergency services, the utility or an arborist. It names three hazards of doing the work as an owner: working at height, retrieving tree parts on buildings or touching utility services, and operating cutting machinery. It adds that trees which seem undamaged, particularly larger ones near people or property, should be checked for cracks, hanging branches or soil heaving by an ISA Certified Arborist.
What the Victorian sources add
The Whitehorse City Council page Storms and Trees says a damaged, broken or hanging tree can be made safe without a permit, but that permits are still needed in the usual way to remove or prune undamaged trees after a storm. For branches or trees causing damage to power lines it gives the local distributor's phone number, 13 20 99. The council's urgency test is whether the tree is a risk to public safety or blocks road or footpath access.
For electrical safety, the regulator page trees and vegetation FAQ from Energy Safe Victoria says to stay 8 to 10 m (26 to 33 feet) away from any fallen powerline, because a person does not have to touch a line to receive a shock. It says that for a tree growing on a person's property, clearing around the service line to the house is that person's responsibility.
What Manitoba Hydro adds
For Manitoba, the utility page trees and power lines says to stay at least 10 m (30 feet) from sparking or burning lines. It says that in emergencies or outages its crews will cut or remove any tree, privately or publicly owned, and that in those cases branches and debris are not cleaned up. The page on Manitoba sets out the rest of what the utility says.
Related pages
The guide on trees touching power lines sets out who is responsible for clearing lines by country, and the guide on storm tree scams reports the warnings attorneys general and trading standards publish after storms. The guide on who pays when a tree falls reports what US state insurance regulators say.
Who to call
- Emergency services: lives in danger: 000 in Australia per Energy Safe Victoria; sparking or burning lines: 911 in Manitoba per Manitoba Hydro
- Your electricity distributor: all incidents involving trees and powerlines, per Energy Safe Victoria
- State Emergency Service: a fallen tree on private property in Victoria: 132 500, per Whitehorse City Council
- Your local council: trees on public land, roads and footpaths
- ISA Find an Arborist: an arborist, which the ISA brochure lists beside emergency services and the utility