Forest Department: Procedure for Permission/Intimation for

felling of trees
Pre-conditions for application procedure:

1. If the area in which the trees are to be felled falls under Private Forest or Hill Area as per the
Tamil Nadu Preservation of Private Forest Act, 1949 or the Tamil Nadu Hill Area (Preservation
of Trees) Act, 1955, the concerned District Collector (Chairman of the District Committee) is to
be approached for permission.

2. If the area is a Reserved Forest/ Reserved Land/ Protected Area (Sanctuary, National Park or
Conservation Reserve), the felling of trees would be part of the process for diversion of forest
land as per the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. The NOC for felling of trees in these areas is
issued by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and can be obtained from its
website (www.forestclearance.nic.in). In such cases, the issue of NOC for tree felling by Tamil
Nadu Forest Department separately does not arise.

3. For all other areas other than those mentioned in (1) and (2), such as Patta (private) land and
Revenue land, the procedure for permission/intimation for felling of trees (depending on the
species classification) is given below:

• For Sandalwood, the tree(s) after felling shall be sold only to Government. The combined
procedure for both felling and selling is elaborated in Annexure 1.

• For the other Scheduled timber trees namely Black wood, Rose wood (outside the notified
forests*), Silver oak, Teak and Red Sanders, no permission for felling of trees is required,
however prior intimation is mandatory 15 days before felling and the procedure is elaborated
in Annexure 2.

• For all other tree species, no permission or intimation for felling of trees is required.

*(Forests as per Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act,1994 includes waste or communal
land containing trees, shrubs and roads, pasture land and any other class of land declared by
notification by the Government to be a forest. Explanation: - for the purposes of this clause
“communal land means” – (i) beds and bunds of tanks and of supply, drainage, surplus or
irrigation channels (ii) Threshing-floor, cattle-stands, village-sites and other lands which are set
apart for the common use of the villagers)
Annexure 1 - Procedure for obtaining permission for felling and selling of
sandal wood trees
1. Competent Authority Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
2. Approving Authority District Forest Officer (DFO)
3. Procedure & 1. Applicant shall apply for the permission in the online web
Documents required portal www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree/

2. The following documents are to be scanned and uploaded

during the application process:

a. Proof of certificate of ownership of the land in which the

sandalwood trees are grown, as issued by the Tahsildar
b. Copy of Chitta / Adangal
c. FMB (Field Measurement Book) Sketch of the patta land
d. Proof of the deed of tenancy, lease, mortgage with
possession or otherwise executed in favour of the owner
of the sandalwood tree.
e. List of sandalwood trees proposed to be sold in the
following format:

Girth (in cm) at

Tree Height Age
Species 1.37m height
number (m) (approx.)
from ground level

3. The DFO shall examine the application and other documents

furnished by the applicant and verify the ownership of the
sandalwood trees that are proposed to be sold to the
Government. In case of any queries on the application, the
DFO shall raise queries through the online portal within 7
days from receipt of the application.

4. The DFO shall immediately or after clarification of the queries,

forward the application to the concerned Forest Range Officer
based on the jurisdiction.

5. The Forest Range Officer (FRO) shall inspect all the

sandalwood trees which are proposed to be felled & sold and
mark such trees for extraction. The FRO shall submit the
inspection report to the District Forest Officer (DFO)/
Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) within 15 days of after
receiving the application from DFO.

6. Within 10 days on receipt of the FRO report, the District

Forest Officer (or) the Assistant Conservator of Forests shall
check at least 10% of the Sandalwood trees (i.e., one in
every ten trees) proposed to be sold.

7. Post inspection, the DFO shall populate and upload the

inspection report on the portal within 48 hours.

8. The DFO/ACF shall verify the condition of the sandalwood

trees proposed to be sold and the documents furnished by
the owner of the sandalwood tree at the time of submission
along with the inspection report prepared by the FRO. The
DFO shall grant permission to fell those sandalwood trees and
sell the same to the Government (subject to such conditions
as he may think fit and in accordance with the provisions of
the rules).
 [Rule 5 (2) of G.O.Ms.No.140.E&F (FR4)20.10.2008 - The
Tamil Nadu Sandal Wood Trees on Patta Land Rules - 2008.]

9. The DFO shall issue a digitally signed final permit within 3

days after uploading the inspection report and is
communicated to the owner of sandalwood tree and the
concerned FRO via SMS. (The District Forest Officer may also
refuse to grant such permission, after recording the reason
therefore).
10. The applicant shall download the final permit after logging in
to the online portal
4. Timeline for issuing
37 days
NOC

Annexure 2 - Procedure for prior intimation of felling of Red sanders, Black

wood, Silver oak, Rose wood and Teak trees

1. Competent Authority Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu

2. Approving Authority District Forest Officer (DFO)
3. Procedure & 1. Applicant shall apply for permission in the online web portal
Documents required www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree/

2. The following documents are to be scanned and uploaded

during the application process:

a. Proof of certificate of ownership of the land in which the

sandalwood trees are grown, as issued by the
Tahsildar;
b. Extract of Chitta / Adangal;
c. FMB Sketch of the patta land;
d. Proof of the deed of tenancy, lease, mortgage with
possession or otherwise executed in favour of the
owner of the sandalwood tree;
e. List of tree(s) proposed to be sold in the following
format:

Girth (in cm) at

Tree Height Age
Species 1.37m height
number (m) (approx.)
from ground level

3. The District Forest Officer (DFO) shall examine the application

and other documents furnished by the applicant. In case of
any queries on the application, the DFO shall raise queries
through the online portal within 5 days from receipt of the
application.

4. The DFO shall inspect the trees that are proposed to be felled
and verify the trees as well as ownership of the land. DFO
may also delegate the inspection to Assistant Conservator of
Forests (ACF) or FRO. The inspection shall be completed
within 8 days.

5. Post inspection, the DFO shall populate and upload the

inspection report on the portal within 48 hours.

6. The DFO shall grant permission/NOC for the felling of trees by

issuing a digitally signed NOC through the online portal within
3 days on uploading the inspection report and is
communicated to the owner of the trees and the concerned
FRO via SMS.
 7. The applicant shall download the final permit after logging in
to the online portal

4. Timeline for issuing

18 days
NOC
Forest Department: Procedure for property mark registration/
renewal and issue of tree transport permit
Pre-conditions for application procedure:

1. Tree (timber) transit is being governed by Tamil Nadu Timber Transit Rules 1968. For the
purpose of regulating the transit of timber in the state of Tamil Nadu, the Tree species have
been broadly classified into two categories as follows:
a. Exempted tree species
b. Non-exempted tree species

2. In case of exempted tree species, the timber or logs of such species does not require permits
for transportation from one place to another. The list of exempted tree species is provided in
Annexure 5.

3. The Non-exempted tree species (all tree species not found in Annexure 5), require legal permits
for transit. Registration of property mark is mandatory for the issue of tree transit permit. This
could be applied simultaneously along with tree transit permit.

4. The procedure for issue of transit permit varies depending on the species:
i. Non-exempt tree species other than red sanders species is elaborated in Annexure 3
ii. Red sanders species is elaborated in Annexure 4

Note: Timber excludes bamboos and fuel billets not exceeding 12 decimetres in length. All sawn
timber where the smallest dimension is less than 5 cm in thickness and does not exceed 12
decimetres in length shall not qualify as “timber” for fixing department hammer marking.
Annexure 3 - Procedure for property mark registration and issue of transit
permits for Non-exempt trees other than Red Sanders Trees/ Timber
1. Competent Authority Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
2. Approving Authority District Forest Officer (DFO)
3. Procedure & 1. Applicant shall apply in the online web portal
Documents required www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree/ for property mark registration/
renewal and issue of transit permit along with all required
documents and fee.

2. The following documents are to be scanned and uploaded

during the application process:

a. Extract of Chitta and adangal of the land issued by

concerned authority
b. Ownership certificate issued by VAO (Village
Administrative Officer)
c. FMB sketch of the land from where tree were felled.
d. Sale deed copy of timber(if the purchaser requires
permit)
e. Power of attorney (in case any authorized agents needs
permit)
f. Fee receipt (scanned copy of Treasury Challan)

Fee specified below to be paid online:

Registration of Property mark: Rs. 200
Renewal of Property mark: Rs. 50
(The fee once paid by the applicant shall not be refunded under
any circumstances.)

3. The District Forest Officer (DFO) shall examine the application

and other documents furnished by the applicant and verify
the following:
• details related to distinctive property mark
• information relating to the locality, quantity of wood
available and any other details required in order to give
effect to the rules

4. In case of any clarification to be made to the applicant, the

DFO shall raise queries in the portal within 7 days on receipt
of the application.

5. If clarification is not required or after clarification, the DFO

shall forward the application to the concerned Assistant
Conservator of Forests (ACF) or the Forest Range Officer
(FRO) for the inspection, who shall inspect the stored timber
and shall affix the departmental hammer mark on the timber.

6. On completion of the hammer marking on the timber to be

transited, inspection report shall be typed online and
uploaded in the portal within 48 hrs from the date of
inspection. (The inspection and submission of inspection
report shall be completed within 15 days)

7. In parallel, the property mark shall be registered at the

District Forest Office and a certificate will be granted/
uploaded by the DFO on the registration of the property mark
within 20 days.

8. Fulfilling all the criteria, the transit permit permission shall be

digitally signed and uploaded by the DFO within 3 days after
uploading the inspection report and shall be communicated to
the concerned Forest Range Officer and to the owner of the
 trees requiring transit permit. (The District Forest Officer may
also refuse to grant such permission, after recording the
reason therefore).

9. Based on the transit permit permission issued by DFO, the

FRO collects the prescribed fee of Rs.50/- manually for each
permit and issues the permit as and when requested by the
applicant. (one permit/10 tonnes or one permit/vehicle
whichever is applicable)

10. The FRO should send the copy of the issued transit permit to
DFO for updating on the portal
4. Timeline for issue of
20 days
property mark
5. Timeline for issue of
25 days
transit permit

Annexure 4 - Procedure for property mark registration and issue of transit

permits for Red Sanders Trees/ Timber

1. Competent Authority Forest Department, Government of Tamil Nadu

2. Approving Authority District Forest Officer (DFO)
3. Procedure & 1. Applicant shall apply in the online web portal
Documents required www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree/ for property mark registration/
renewal and issue of transit permit along with all required
documents and fee to the District Forest Officer (DFO).

2. Documents Required (to be uploaded in the portal):

a. Extract of Chitta and adangal of the land issued by
concerned authority
b. Ownership certificate issued by VAO (Village
Administrative Officer)
c. FMB sketch of the land from where tree were felled.
d. Sale deed copy if the purchaser requires permit.
e. Power of attorney in case any authorized agents needs
permit.
f. Fee receipt (scanned copy of Treasury Challan)

Fee specified below to be paid online:

Registration of Property mark: Rs. 200
Renewal of Property mark: Rs. 50
(The fee once paid by the applicant shall not be refunded under
any circumstances.)

3. The DFO shall examine the application and other documents

furnished by the applicant and verify the following:
 details related to distinctive property mark
 information relating to the locality, quantity of wood
available and any other details required in order to give
effect to the rules

4. In case of any clarification to be made to the applicant, the

DFO shall raise queries within 7 days on receipt of the
application.

5. If clarification is not required or after clarification, the DFO

shall forward the application to the concerned Assistant
Conservator of Forests (ACF) or the Forest Range Officer
(FRO) for the inspection, who shall inspect the stored timber
and shall affix the departmental hammer mark on the timber.
 6. On completion of the hammer marking on the timber to be
transited report shall be type online and uploaded in the
portal within 48 hrs from the date of inspection. (The
inspection and submission of inspection report shall be
completed within 15 days)

7. Fulfilling all the criteria, the transit permit permission shall be

uploaded by the DFO within 10 days (transit within State) /
20 days (transit outside the State) and shall be
communicated to the concerned Forest Range Officer and to
the owner of the trees requiring transit permit. (The District
Forest Officer may also refuse to grant such permission, after
recording the reason therefore).

8. Based on the transit permit permission issued by DFO, the

FRO collects the prescribed fee of Rs.50/- manually for each
permit and issues the permit as and when requested by the
applicant.(one permit/10 tonnes or one permit/vehicle
whichever is applicable)

9. The FRO should send the copy of the issued transit permit to
DFO for updating on the portal
4. Timeline for issue of 32 days
transit permit for
Red Sander wood
within the state
5. Timeline for issue of 42 days
transit permit for
Red Sander wood
outside the state

Regulations for transit of Red Sander wood:

1. For transit within the Tamil Nadu State limit, the concerned District Forest Officer obtains the
approval of Conservator of Forest before issuing transit permit in case the quantity of the
cleaned Red Sander wood including converted article exceeds 10 Metric tonnes.

2. The person who receives the Red Sander logs / woods / chips / powder/article needs to inform
to DFO having jurisdiction over the proposed storage facilities within 24 hours of receipt of such
property and apply for possession certificate with proper documents.

3. For transport of Red Sander timber, logs / woods / chips / powder / article or its derivatives to
outside the state of Tamil Nadu and country, the District Forest Officer needs to get prior
approval of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Chennai irrespective of the quantity.

4. In case of Red Sander trees found fallen/broken/damaged due to natural calamity, the applicant
shall inform DFO concerned within 15 days of such events and apply for property mark/ transit
permit to intermediate depot.

5. Certificate of origin is compulsory for the traders and subsequent export of such red sander
wood and its derivatives.
 Annexure 5: List of Exempted Scheduled Timber species

S.
Botanical name Tamil name Trade name
No.
1 Prosopis juliflora Seemaikaruvel or The Mesquite
Velikaruvai
2 Casuarina equisetifolia Savukku Casuarina
3 Leucaena leucocephala Savundal Subabul
4 Borassus flabellifer Panai Palmyrah
5 Erythrina indica Kalyanamurungai Dadops
6 Acacia planifrons NattuOdai Umbrella thorn
7 Acacia leucophloea Velvelan White Bark
Acacia Panicled
Acacia
8 Ailanthus excelsa Perumaram, Pinari, Maharukh
Pimaram
9 Albizzia lebbeck Vagai Maharukh, East Indian
Walnut, Siris
10 Anacardium occidentale Munthiri Cashew
11 Anthocephalus cadamba VellaKadambu, Kola-aiyila Kadam
12 Artocarpus heterophyllus Pala Jack
13 Azadirachta indica Vembu Neem, Margosa
14 Bamboo (All species) Mungil Bamboo
15 Bombax ceiba Elavamaram, Mullilavu, Red silk cotton tree,
Ilavu Kapok
16 Caesalpinia sappan Sapangu, Patunga Sappan
17 Cassia siamea Ponnavarai, Manjakonnai Cassia
18 Casuarina junghuhniana Savukku Casuarina
19 Ceiba pentandra Elavampanju, White silk cotton tree,
Ulagamaram Kapok
20 Dalbergia sissoo Sissoo, Shisham Sissoo
21 Erythrina (All species) KalyanaMurungai, Coral tree
Murukku
22 Eucalyptus (All species Thailamaram (excepting Eucalyptus
except E.globulus and Karpuramaram)
E.grandis)
23 Gmelina arborea Kumil, Kumalan, Kumla Gamari
24 Hevea brasiliensis Rubber maram Rubber
25 Hibiscus tiliaceus Neerparuthi, Aatru- Sea Hibiscus
puvarasu
26 Madhuca species (All Illuppai Mohua
species)
27 Mangifera indica Mamaram Mango
28 Melia azedarach Malaivembu, Persian Lilac
Turukavembu
29 Melia dubia MalaiMasaveppu Malabar Neem
30 Morinda tomentosa Manjanathi, Nona Morinda, Suranji
31 Pithecellobium species Kodukapuli, Korukkappuli Manila Tamarind
(All species)
32 Pongamia pinnata Pungam, Pungan Pongam, Indian Beach
33 Albizia saman ThoonguMoonjiMaram Rain tree
34 Sweitenia macrophylla Mahogany Mahogany
S.
Botanical name Tamil name Trade name
No.
35 Sweitenia mahogoni Mahogany Mahogany
36 Syzygium species (All Naaval Jamun, Indian cherry
species)
37 Tamarindus indica Puli, Puliyan Tamarind
38 Tecoma stans Swarnapatti Esperanza
39 Thespesia populnea Poovarasu Indian Portia tree, Indian
Tulip
40 Toona ciliata Malaivembu, Red Cedar, Toon
Santhanavembu
41 Grevillea robusta Silver Oak, Silver oak
Seemaisavukku