Guidance

Public registers and consultation on forestry projects

Use the public registers to find details on proposed forestry work and on decisions that the Forestry Commission has made to approve or reject proposals.

Applies to England

Access the public registers

How to use the ‘Consultation Register for grant schemes, tree felling and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications’ (Consultation Register)

This register shows details of applications for grant-aided woodland creation, for afforestation where an EIA – Full Notification is made, and for tree felling applications (excluding those permitting thinning works only, those for felling of cricket bat willow where like for like restocking is proposed, or where an exemption to the Consultation Register applies) in England.

From 11 July 2022 we will publish proposals that relate to applications under the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) as soon as possible. This means that the schemes may not have been checked for compliance with the UK Forestry Standard. Where schemes undergo significant change to ensure compliance with the UK Forestry Standard or EWCO rules the proposal will be relisted to provide 21 days for comment.

Grant-aided woodland creation proposals and tree felling applications are published on the Consultation Register for 21 days. Afforestation proposals where an EIA Full Notification is made are published for 21 days. During this time you are able to make comments on the proposals in relation to the requirements of the UK Forestry Standard.

The register shows the date on which the application was published and the date by which comments must be received. Comments received after the closing date will not be considered.

This register is also used to notify the public of EIA ‘stage 2’ applications for consent at the consultation stage for the Environmental Statement . These are required where we decide, at ‘stage 1’, that a project may have a significant effect on the environment.

In these instances, the project proposer will have been required to seek advice and provide evidence to show how the impact identified at ‘stage 1’ may be mitigated. They will do this by writing an Environmental Statement. During our assessment of the Environmental Statement, we will publish details of the Environmental Statement for public comment for a period of 30 days, prior to making our final decision. We may consult other bodies before reaching a decision.

More information on the EIA process can be found on our EIA guidance page.

Consultation Register: Tree felling application exemptions

On Friday 22 October 2021, Defra announced a modification to the way a limited number of felling licence applications will be dealt with by the Forestry Commission. A small number of felling licence applications directly related to the management of tree pests and diseases or made due to a public safety issue may now be excluded from publication on the Consultation Public Register, where the Forestry Commission deem that the proposed tree felling needs to be expedited for an overriding biosecurity or public safety benefit.

The exemption from the Consultation Public Register will not affect the outcome of whether a tree will be felled. The exemption is intended to streamline the decision-making process for felling licence applications that relate to overriding biosecurity or public safety issues. However, it remains vital that people continue to make felling licence applications in a timely way.

The exclusion from the Consultation Public Register will not impact the need to consult with statutory bodies, where relevant, and does not impact on other conditions related to approving a felling licence, such as the need to restock. 

All Forestry Commission approved felling licences will continue to be published on the Decision Public Register so the public will be kept informed of decisions.

This modification came into effect on Monday 8 November 2021.

How to get more information or submit a comment on an application on the Consultation Register

You can submit a comment online by visiting the Consultation Register website and leaving your comment against the case you are interested in.

Alternatively, you can submit a comment in writing. The case information page on the Public Register will tell you which body is responsible for the application within the field named ‘Organisation’.

Please refer to the contact information below for the different organisations.

For Forestry Commission cases, email or send a letter to the appropriate Forestry Commission Administrative hub, clearly quoting the case reference number.

For woodland creation delivery partner cases, refer to the relevant partner’s website for contact information. Please clearly quote the case reference number.

Comments should relate to the proposal’s compliance with the UK Forestry Standard. Please use our guidance note, How to use the Forestry Commission Consultation Register and make comments online (PDF, 2 MB, 10 pages).

Most applications are for forestry work on private land.

Your privacy

Please refer to the Privacy Notice on the Consultation Public Register webpage for information regarding how your personal information (if given) will be treated.

How to use the ‘Decision Register for grant schemes, tree felling and EIA decisions’ (Decision Register)

This register shows details of decisions on applications for grant-aided woodland creation, for tree felling (excluding those only containing thinning) and for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) on forestry projects (afforestation, deforestation, forest roads and forest quarries) in England.

We may have consulted other bodies and taken their views into account before reaching a decision. These decisions are published on the Decision Register for 28 days.

The register shows details of the project type, the date that the decision was made, the decision outcome and when it expires.

No comments can be submitted on decided cases.

If you feel you need to make comment on a decision, you should direct your comment to the appropriate Forestry Commission Administrative hub or woodland creation deliver partner, clearly quoting the case reference number. Your comment will be forwarded to the team responsible for the original decision.

Legacy decisions

The Forestry Commission is required to keep a long-term record of decisions, particularly in relation to Environmental Impact Assessment cases.

For individual grant scheme, felling licence and EIA decisions, map and dataset records can be found on the Forestry Commission’s Land Information Search (LIS) map browser.

However, if you require more specific information about decisions that no longer show on the Decision Register, please get in touch with us by emailing gr.support.england@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Complaints

The case information page on the Public Register will tell you which body is responsible for the application within the field named ‘Organisation.’

If you wish to complain about a Forestry Commission decision, please follow our complaints procedure. Find out more about our complaint’s procedure.

If you wish to complain about a decision made by a Defra woodland creation partner, please contact the organisation directly to make your complaint.

Contact the Forestry Commission

The Public Registers are developed and hosted by the Forestry Commission. If you cannot access the public registers, require further information, or are having any problems using them, you can contact the Support team by emailing gr.support.england@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Published 9 July 2018
Last updated 26 February 2024 + show all updates
  1. Updated to reflect the consultation public register period has changed from 28 to 21 days.

  2. Downtime information added.

  3. Update about system downtime.

  4. Additional information about EWCO and the public register.

  5. Updates to reflect a new Public Register portal system for non-FC delivery partners

  6. Guidance added for Consultation Public Register felling licence exemptions

  7. The 'How to use the Forestry Commission Consultation Register and make comments online' document has been updated.

  8. The new public registers have been added to this page.

  9. First published.