Felling trees on private property: permit required?

Cut down trees is a complex matter. If they are not felled according to regulations, heavy fines can ensue. You can find out here whether you need a permit to cut trees on your property.

Private property: tree felling allowed?

If you want to cut down a tree on your private property, there is nothing wrong with it at first glance. According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), you are allowed to fell trees as long as they are completely on your property. However, there are certain points you need to keep in mind so that you do not act illegally:

• Fall times
• Trunk circumference

While the tree felling period is specified by the BNatSchG, the tree protection statutes of your community determine from which trunk size a permit is required. If you do not observe these points, you are not allowed to fell trees, even if they are on your property. Trees that fall under the following criteria are an exception:

• Risk of tree breakage
• Endangering structures and people
• Traffic safety
• infectious diseases (e.g. B. Fungal attack)
• Pest infestation
• Dead tree
• Use of the property is no longer ideal
• necessary construction work (e.g. B. Monument protection) not possible

You can cut these trees outside of the specified time and regardless of the size with permission, if you can produce evidence. In most cases, an expert will come to you after the application has been submitted to take a closer look at the tree.

Overview of the fall times

The nationwide felling times are important so that your application for felling is even possible. On private property, you are only allowed to fell trees for a period of time that gardeners are likely to be aware of. This is namely identical to the legal pruning. From 1. March to 30th After the 2nd of September you can Sentence in the 5th Section 39 (general protection of wild animals and plants) in the BNatSchG do not cut trees. The reason for this is the protection of wild animals, which use the plants for the following purposes:

• Reproduction
• Resting places

Outside of this protection period, you can fell trees on your private property without any problems, provided you have obtained permission in advance if this is necessary. You can either submit an application during the fall or send it in beforehand and wait until autumn or winter to execute it.

Note: If wild animals use trees on your private property during the felling period, you are not allowed to fell them.

Note tree species

As already explained, it is definitely necessary to obtain a permit for felling for trees with a certain trunk size. These are listed by cities and municipalities in the corresponding tree protection statutes. So you have to check beforehand whether a permit is required for the trunk thickness. The specified trunk thickness is dependent on categories under which the corresponding tree species fall. Despite the regionally different regulations, there are guidelines that apply to most of the country:

• Deciduous trees: 60 or 80 cm
• Conifers: 100 cm
• Fruit trees: 150 cm

The above values ​​apply above all to single-stemmed trees on private property. If you want to fell multi-stemmed specimens, you must measure the thickness of each individual stem. If only one is larger than the specified value, for example 50 centimeters, you must obtain permission. You should also note that some types may be exempt from the regulations. This is decided by each community and should be checked by you beforehand. Some trees are considered particularly protected in the respective communities, so you can only cut them down in an emergency.

Tip: Note that walnut trees (Juglans regia) and sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa) fall under the regulations for deciduous trees, although they are often cultivated as fruit trees.

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