Forestry operations, consents and timber rules

Forestry consents are organised around what you are about to do: fell, plant, move plants, sell timber, or work on protected trees. Forestry is devolved, so the consenting body depends on the nation — the Forestry Commission in England, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Forestry, and the Forest Service in Northern Ireland — and each section below names the right one. Work through the sections that match your operations.

Felling trees: get a licence first

Felling growing trees generally needs a felling licence, subject to volume and trunk-diameter exemptions, and felling without one is a criminal offence. In England the licence comes from the Forestry Commission; Natural Resources Wales covers Wales, Scottish Forestry issues felling permission under Scotland's own legislation, and the Forest Service licenses felling in Northern Ireland. Licences are judged against the UK Forestry Standard.

Licences usually carry a restocking condition, and the Forestry Commission can serve a restocking notice where trees were felled without a licence.

For the application itself, follow apply for a tree felling licence — or run the quick tree works permission check if you are not sure which consents your job needs.

Bigger projects: Environmental Impact Assessment consent

Afforestation, deforestation, forest roads and forest quarries above the thresholds — or in sensitive areas — need the consenting body's opinion before work starts, and EIA consent where significant environmental effects are likely. Proceeding without required consent is an offence. This is the England and Wales regime (Forestry Commission and Natural Resources Wales) under the 1999 Regulations; Scotland has its own forestry EIA regulations administered by Scottish Forestry.

Nurseries and growers: plant health and planting stock

If you produce or move trees and forest reproductive material, you must register as a professional operator and issue plant passports for regulated plants moved within Great Britain — and notifiable tree pests and diseases must be reported.

Suppliers marketing seed, cuttings and planting stock of the listed forest tree species must also register with the Forestry Commission, Great Britain's forest reproductive material authority.

Selling timber: UK Timber Regulation due diligence

A business that first places timber or timber products on the GB market — including a logging business marketing its own harvested timber — is a UK Timber Regulation operator and must run a due-diligence system, with records kept for five years. The Office for Product Safety and Standards enforces, and placing illegally harvested timber on the market is an offence.

For the full due-diligence system — information, risk assessment and mitigation — see timber sourcing compliance.

Protected trees: TPOs and conservation areas

Before cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting a tree protected by a Tree Preservation Order you need local planning authority consent, and most work on trees in a conservation area needs six weeks' notice. Breach is a criminal offence — destroying a protected tree carries an unlimited fine, with other unauthorised work fined up to £2,500. This is the England and Wales regime under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; Scotland and Northern Ireland protect trees under their own planning Acts.

For the consent process step by step, follow work with Tree Preservation Orders.

Pesticides and herbicides: certificated use only

Applying professional plant protection products — herbicides for weeding and restocking, insecticides — needs the relevant certificate of competence, authorised products used in line with the product label, tested application equipment and application records.

Next steps

Put the duties every forestry business shares in place with run a compliant forestry business, and confirm your position with the forestry compliance checklist. If your work strays into hedgerows or protected sites, see hedgerow removal and managing access land and SSSIs.