Cutting down trees

Ireland has many different species of trees. These trees have many benefits for us, our environment and the earth’s animals including:

• Releasing oxygen into the air for us to breathe.
• Providing a habitat and food for animals.
• Storing carbon to combat climate change.
• Helping to reduce the risk of flooding, soil erosion and water pollution.

To help protect Ireland’s trees and environment, there are rules about how trees are looked after and managed. There are specific rules about tree felling (tree cutting), which are essential to maintain safe roads and landscapes. These rules apply to the trees on your property, as well as the trees in your area.

The trees on your land are your property and you are responsible for them. If your property is beside a public road, you must make sure that any trees or vegetation on your land are not a hazard (danger) for someone using the road.

You can look after the trees on your land by:

• Inspecting the trees on your property regularly.
• Calling a professional when necessary, such as an arborist or forester with recognised qualifications.
• Making time every year to check the trees on your land.
• Maintaining a record of your tree checks.
• Maintaining a map to locate any trees of concern, such as a tree with visible rot, (if you have a large property).

Your local authority can issue a notice asking you to maintain or cut back your trees and hedges. If you are unsure if a tree is on your land and falls within your responsibility, you can check the Registry of Deeds or Land Registry maps.

Avoiding being negligent

If a tree on your property breaks or collapses and causes injury or damage, you can be held responsible, if you were negligent. Being negligent depends on whether the incident could have been prevented, if you were properly maintaining your tree.

For example, if your tree was in a dangerous position and you made no effort to take care of it, you may be considered negligent and held responsible.

Can I cut down a neighbour’s tree?

You cannot cut down the trees on your neighbour’s property without your neighbour’s permission. If you are concerned about a tree on your neighbour’s property, you should discuss this with them to avoid any disagreements.

Can I cut back a neighbour’s tree?

You can cut overhanging branches or tree roots that are coming onto your land from your neighbour’s land. You can do this without your neighbour’s permission. However, it would be neighbourly to inform them before you do this work.

You can only cut back branches or roots as far as the boundary line between your properties. You cannot:

• Go onto your neighbour’s property without their permission to do this work.
• Leave the tree unsafe or open to infection.

You should offer any cuttings from the tree back to the owner in case they want them.

A tree on the boundary line of 2 properties is generally considered to be jointly owned by you and your neighbour.

There are warning signs that indicate that a tree is of high risk of tree failure. Tree failure is when a tree is at risk of collapsing or breaking. These signs include, if the tree:

• Is leaning in an unstable way.
• Is dead or has dead branches.
• Has decay at the stem base.
• Has deep cracks or splits in the wood of the main stem or branches.
• Has signs of root plate movement (when a tree’s roots and the soil around it shift or lift, usually because of strong wind or loose ground).

These signs, combined with severe weather, can lead to tree failure.

If you think a tree on your property is at risk of falling or breaking, you should get it cut back or cut down. You can get a professional to assess the tree and do this for you. You should always make sure that you are following the rules around tree felling when you do this.

If your property has many mature roadside trees, you should consider a professional to visit and assess them.

For further information about the warning signs of tree failure, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has a guide for landowners for managing roadside trees.

If a tree has fallen and it is an emergency, call the emergency service at 112 or 999.

If you see a fallen tree in a public area, you can report it to your local authority.

If you are concerned about a roadside tree on your property, ESB Networks also has an FAQ page about tree cutting.

If you are a landowner or a tree cutting professional, you must follow the rules around tree cutting and land management. There are a number of rules to consider:

• It is an offence to destroy or burn vegetation on uncultivated land (land that is  not used to grow crops)  between 1 March and 31 August each year.
• Some trees have a Tree Preservation Order, which means they cannot be cutdown without the consent of your local authority. You can check with your local authority to see if a tree has a preservation order.
• You need a felling licence to cut down a tree, except in certain circumstances.

When is a felling licence not required?

You do not need a tree felling licence to cut down a tree if the tree is:

• Within 10 metres of a public road and is considered dangerous to road users.
• Within 30 meters of a building (excluding walls or temporary structures), unless the building was built after the trees.
• Outside a forest and is approved for removal in a planning permission.
• Grows naturally, is less than five years old, and is removed as part of regular farm work (as long as it’s not part of a hedgerow).
• Uprooted from a nursery for replanting somewhere else.
• A willow or poplar tree species that is growing specifically for fuel.
• Hawthorn or blackthorn species of tree that is growing in a hedge outside a forest.
• An apple, pear, plum, or damson trees growing outside a forest.

Farms can also remove a maximum of 4 trees per year that are up to 3 cubic meters in size.

If you decide to cut down a tree, you should take photos of the tree as evidence to support your decision.

It is an offence to fell trees without a felling licence if you do not have an exemption. For more examples of when a felling licence is not needed, visit Teagasc.ie.

How do I apply for a felling licence?

1. Complete the felling licence application form.
2. Send it and any supporting maps to:

Felling Section

Forestry Division

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Johnstown Castle

Co. Wexford

Y35 PN52

If you are using a registered forester, they can apply for a felling licence online.

Gov.ie has a list of registered foresters and forestry companies.

Visit the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine website for:

• Examples of completed application forms
• Guidance notes for completing the form
• A tree felling FAQ  

How much is a felling licence application?

It costs €20 to make a felling licence application. Licences can last up to 10 years. In some cases, the licence can be extended.

Forestry – Felling Licences

Email: felling.forestservice@agriculture.gov.ie

Phone number: +353 (0) 53 9163425

For general information on forestry, contact:

Forestry – general information

Address: Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford, Y35 PN52

Email: forestryinfo@agriculture.gov.ie

Phone number: +353 (0)53 9163400

For information on appeals, contact:

Forestry Appeals Committee

Kilminchy Court, Portlaoise, Co Laois, R32 DTW5

Website: www.agriappeals.gov.ie/

Email: forestry@agriappeals.gov.ie

Phone number: +353 (0) 57 863 1900

Teagasc – general information

Address: Teagasc, Oak Park, Carlow R93 XE12

Email: info@teagasc.ie

Phone number: +353 59 917 0200