Tree felling on private land: No permission now required for 71 species

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In a welcome move, the state government has done away with the rule whereby citizens had to obtain permission from the Forest Department and other authorities before felling any tree in own respective land. The exemption has been given in regard of 71 common species of trees.

Henceforth, people will not even have to obtain transit passes from the Forest Department before transporting such felled trees to other locations.

This has come to pass as the state government has approved the Assam Trees Outside Forest (Sustainable Management) Rules, 2022. The Rules also exempt obtaining of permission in respect of felling 11 species of trees that was mandated as per the earlier Rules of 2002.

Hitherto, any person who desired to fell a tree on personal land – either for clear the way for construction work or for sale etc., - had to first apply for permission from the Forest Department. The Forest Department then forwarded this type of application to the Revenue branch of the Deputy Commissioner's office concerned for verification of land ownership. The Revenue branch usually did not grant permission if the land in question is not mutated in the applicant's name and is still in the name of deceased parents etc. This resulted in a lengthy and complex process.

It is pertinent to mention that many people refrained from planting commercially valuable tree such as agar because of the difficulty in obtaining permission for felling the trees once they mature.

According to official sources, the state government has now given the exemption from obtaining permission for felling trees outside forest areas with the aim of encouraging people with sufficient land to plant and commercially exploit various species types of trees.

However, the Assam Trees Outside Forest (Sustainable Management) Rules, 2022 stipulates that in case of felling sites near forest areas, online felling permission and certificate of origin will be generated within 48 hours of application if the proposed felling site is located at a distance of more than 5 km from the nearest forest. If the permission is not provided within 48 hours, then the permission will be deemed to have been issued.

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