Who regulates what in tree work, country by country
Seven jobs, six countries: which official body covers workplace safety, compensation, pesticides, plant health, tree permits, wildlife and commercial vehicles, with a link to its own page.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 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 names the body behind each job in six countries and links the page that shows it. Each link was opened on October 8, 2026. Where no official page was read that day, the cell says so and names no body.
The rules each body enforces are covered in the guides on safety rules by country, reporting injuries by country, tree protection laws and wildlife and the law.
United States
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Its tree care standards page says the industry must comply with the general industry standards in 29 CFR 1910, and that State Plans may have different or stricter requirements. |
| Workers' compensation | A state office. The example read is the California Division of Workers' Compensation: its employer page says California employers are required by law to have workers' compensation insurance, even with one employee. |
| Pesticides | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with state, territorial and tribal authorities. The EPA applicator certification page says federal law requires certification to apply restricted use pesticides, and that state, territorial and tribal authorities certify applicators. |
| Plant health | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Tree protection and permits | The city or county, not a federal body. The example read is Austin Development Services: its residential trees page says regulated trees in Austin require a permit to remove or impact. |
| Protected wildlife | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Commercial vehicles | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). In the Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR Part 390, the chapter holding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations is headed with that agency's name. |
Canada
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | The province or territory. The CCOHS legislation page counts fourteen jurisdictions (one federal, ten provincial, three territorial) and says approximately 94% of Canadian workers fall under provincial or territorial legislation. |
| Workers' compensation | A provincial or territorial board. The Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada describes itself as a non-profit that exchanges information between the boards and commissions, and says it has twelve members. Ontario's board, WSIB, has a report an injury page. |
| Pesticides | The province licenses or certifies. Ontario's pesticide licences page covers exterminator, operator and vendor licences to sell or apply pesticides in Ontario. British Columbia has a certification and training page. The federal pesticide agency is not covered here. |
| Plant health | Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Its firewood page says the CFIA regulates the movement of plant species in Canada, monitors invasive species and sets regulated areas that restrict moving potentially infested wood. |
| Tree protection and permits | The municipality. The City of Toronto tree and ravine permit page says removing or injuring a protected tree is only permitted when the City has reviewed an application against bylaw requirements. |
| Protected wildlife | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Commercial vehicles | Provincial licensing. Ontario's truck driver's licence page explains how to get a commercial licence in Ontario. The National Safety Code pages on the CCMTA site list standards sections including motor carrier operating authority and electronic logging devices. |
United Kingdom
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain, which its GOV.UK page calls Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) says on its home page that it promotes and enforces health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland. HSE keeps a tree work hub. |
| Workers' compensation | There is no compensation board on the pages read. The GOV.UK employers' liability page says employers must get Employers' Liability insurance covering at least GBP 5 million from an authorised insurer. GOV.UK also lists Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for illness or disability caused by an accident or disease at work. |
| Pesticides | HSE. Its pesticides section is headed by pages on UK pesticides regulation, registering work involving pesticides, and use, storage and disposal. |
| Plant health | Forestry Commission and Animal and Plant Health Agency. Both are named as the source of the GOV.UK tree pests and diseases biosecurity page. |
| Tree protection and permits | The local planning authority makes Tree Preservation Orders in England, per the GOV.UK tree preservation order guidance. Felling licences are issued by the Forestry Commission and are free in England, per the felling licence page. |
| Protected wildlife | Natural England and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are named on the GOV.UK pages bats: protection and licences and wild birds: protection and licences. |
| Commercial vehicles | Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), whose GOV.UK page lists operator licences and HGV driver topics. Licence categories are on the GOV.UK driving licence categories page. |
Ireland
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | Health and Safety Authority. Its home page carries a section headed "The Role of the Authority". |
| Workers' compensation | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Pesticides | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Plant health | Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Its quarantine pest reporting page says suspected outbreaks of quarantine pests or invasive species can be reported to the Department, and reports of particular concern go to specialist plant health inspectors. |
| Tree protection and permits | The planning authority. Section 205 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, in the Irish Statute Book enacted text, lets a planning authority make an order to preserve trees. That site shows the enacted text, and later amendments are not read here. |
| Protected wildlife | National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Its legislation page lists the Wildlife Acts 1976 to 2023 and the 2011 Birds and Habitats Regulations. |
| Commercial vehicles | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
Australia
Work health and safety, workers' compensation and pesticide licensing sit with each state and territory. The rows below use New South Wales and Victoria as the examples read. The other states and territories are not covered.
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | A state or territory regulator. SafeWork NSW's incident notification page and WorkSafe Victoria's report an incident page are two of them. The national agency is not covered here. |
| Workers' compensation | A state scheme. In New South Wales, Insurance and Care NSW (icare) offers a lookup to confirm a Workers Compensation policy. The SafeWork NSW page above points to the State Insurance Regulatory Authority's Injury Advice Centre for recovery at work. |
| Pesticides | A state environment agency. The NSW EPA ground applicator page says a ground applicator licence is required to provide services that use pesticides, other than fumigants, to control weeds or pests affecting plants or soil. |
| Plant health | The state or territory agriculture agency. The Plant Health Australia reporting page says unusual plant pests are reported to the relevant state or territory agency through the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline. |
| Tree protection and permits | The local council. The NSW Planning vegetation in non-rural areas page says the policy allows councils to manage clearing through a permit system. The City of Sydney has an trees page with an apply to prune or remove a tree service. |
| Protected wildlife | A state environment agency. In New South Wales, Environment and Heritage says on its flying-fox page that the grey-headed flying-fox is listed as threatened and protected by law. |
| Commercial vehicles | National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). Its home page publishes safety bulletins and a risk register builder guided by the NHVR Master Code of Practice. |
New Zealand
| Job | Body and what its page says |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety | WorkSafe New Zealand. Its notifiable events page says the regulator is WorkSafe or another government agency designated for certain work. WorkSafe also hosts the arboriculture code of practice. |
| Workers' compensation | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Pesticides | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Plant health | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
| Tree protection and permits | The city or district council. Wellington City Council's heritage and notable trees page says the Council protects notable trees by listing them as heritage trees in the District Plan. |
| Protected wildlife | Department of Conservation. Its Wildlife Act 1953 page says the Act covers all native birds, bats, frogs and reptiles, and over 930 native species in total. |
| Commercial vehicles | Not confirmed: this page names no body for this job. |
Gaps on this page
A cell that says not confirmed is a gap in this page, not a statement that no body exists.
Sources
- OSHA, standards that apply to tree care, read October 8, 2026
- CCOHS, health and safety legislation in Canada, read October 8, 2026
- HSE, Britain's workplace health and safety regulator, GOV.UK page, read October 8, 2026
- WorkSafe New Zealand, what events need to be notified, read October 8, 2026
- NSW EPA, ground applicator licences, read October 8, 2026