Instructions to Applicant:- (Detailed instructions issued in "www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree_felling_permission" for obtaining tree felling and transit permission)
1. If the area where the trees are to be felled, falls under 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) must be approached for permission to fell trees.
2. If the area is a Reserved Forest, Reserved Land or 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 (parivesh.nic.in). In such cases, the issue of NOC for tree felling by Tamil Nadu Forest department separately does not arise.
3. If the area falls under non-forest land or government or revenue or private lands falling within the Eco Sensitive Zone of protected areas, the permission of felling of trees is given by competent authority.
3(I). If no Competent Authority notified by the State Government in such interim period, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in-charge of the territorial forests is the competent authority for this purpose and therefore the application is to be submitted to the District Forest Officer in whose jurisdiction the ESZ falls who will recommend in accordance with the existing provisions of Central or State Act and rules made thereunder by the State Government for protection of trees in the state and permission will be accorded by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
4. If it is area other than (1) (2) and (3) above like in Patta (private) land and
Revenue land, the procedure for permission/intimation for felling of trees that needs to be adopted depends on the species as instruction given in "www.forests.tn.gov.in/tree_felling_permission" for obtaining tree felling and transit
permission