Under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, it is an offence to carry out work on a protected tree without permission from the local planning authority.
Trees may be protected by: Tree Preservation Orders, Conservation Areas (covering trees of a diameter of 75mm and above), and Planning Conditions.
Important
You must have written permission granted by Fife Council before starting any work. Simply submitting an application is not enough.
What can be reported?
Unauthorised works to protected trees include cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, or any action that damages or destroys a protected tree on purpose or by accident.
Before you report potential unauthorised tree works, it is important to check the following:
- The Fife map of tree protections to confirm that the trees are protected.
- Fife Councils Online Planning System (map search) - Consent for tree works can last up to 2 years, so the owner may already have consent.
If you think someone is carrying out work on a protected tree without permission, you can report this as a breach of planning control.
Felling Licenses
Some tree felling may also need a felling licence from Scottish Forestry.
Their guidance says you can remove up to five cubic metres of timber in a calendar quarter, but this does not apply to native broadleaf woodland.
You can report a suspected unauthorised felling from the Scottish Forestry website.
