Tree touching power lines in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: who is responsible
Newfoundland Power, an electricity utility in Newfoundland, publishes pages on which wires it trims trees around, which it does not, and how far trees are planted from poles. This page reports what those pages say.
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 describes the utility's own pages. Other utilities and the rest of Canada are not covered here.
Who is responsible
The Newfoundland Power page Tree Trimming sorts the wires near a house by type:
| Wire | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Service wire | Brings electricity from the pole to a metal mast on the dwelling. The company recommends a three foot distance between trees and this wire and says it does not maintain trees on or near it, so a qualified contractor is needed. |
| Communication wires | Phone, cable and internet wires, the lower wires along the street. The page says they are not electrical wires and trees around them do not threaten the electricity system. |
| Guy wires | Cables that support poles, usually with a yellow cover. The page says they are not electrical wires and trees or bushes around them do not threaten the electricity system. |
| High voltage lines | The primary lines. The page says that when the company trims trees around them it ensures a six foot clearance between the line and any branches. |
The page also says a tree with three metres (10 feet) of horizontal clearance from a power line or utility pole is not a threat to the electricity system.
What the utility says about its own work
The Tree Trimming page says that around poles and high voltage lines the company's trimmers try to cut enough clearance for the tree to stay safe until the next routine maintenance cycle, and that its program runs routine cycles of three and a half to seven years, because species grow at different rates. It says trees with trunks close to a line need much heavier pruning, and that in some cases a large tree growing close to a line has to be pruned so severely that it becomes necessary to take it down. It says a concerned owner can use the online form or call 1-800-663-2802, and that the company asks that untrained people not attempt trimming near lines.
Emergencies and downed lines
The Tree Trimming page gives 1-800-474-5711 for a tree on a wire that causes smoke, sparks, flickering lights or damage to a pole. The company's Power Line Safety page says downed wires should always be considered energized and extremely dangerous, and that people should call 1-800-474-5711 for a line down. Its Wood Cutting Safety page says cutting trees near power lines should only be attempted by trained professionals and that a tree fallen into a line is not to be removed by the owner.
Planting zones
The company's Power Planting brochure divides the ground around a pole into three zones:
| Zone | Distance and height |
|---|---|
| Low zone | Extends to 4.5 m from the pole; mature height no higher than 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Medium zone | From the low zone to 7.6 m from the pole; mature height no higher than 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Tall zone | More than 7.6 m from the pole; the brochure says virtually any strong, healthy tree can be planted here |
The brochure lists species found in Newfoundland gardens for each zone, for example mugo pine and white cedar in the low zone and Japanese maple and star magnolia in the medium zone.
Who to call
- Newfoundland Power emergency line, 1-800-474-5711: a tree on a wire, smoke, sparks or a downed line, per the company pages
- Newfoundland Power tree trimming requests, 1-800-663-2802: a concerned owner can call or use the online form
- 911: a downed line on a vehicle, per the company page
- Newfoundland Power, Power Planting brochure: planting zones by distance from a pole