Felling license exemptions.

[wpdees]

I'm trying to decide whether or not I need a felling license. We have a small 12 acre wood, only 20 years old, in need of thinning which I'm doing slowly on my own with a bow saw. I gather from the rules that I can fell up to 5 cubic metres of wood for my own use per quarter, and if thinning, then anything under 10cm at chest height can be felled without a license.
So presumiably, only thinnings witha diameter over 10cm needs to be included in the 5 cubic meters as the thinner stuff doesnt have a limit on it as long as it is thinning.
I spoke to someone at the local FC office and they said all the thinnings would be included in the 5 cub m allowance, but that doesnt seem right to my reading of the regulations.
Can anyone shed light on this?
Thanks
Richard.

[Andy M]

I was not sure, so applied for a thinning licence. It was free, lasts for three years and covers more than I would want to do. If I chose, I can fell nothing - ie there is no compulsion to do as much as the licence allows. It took a couple of weeks to come through and now I can do what I like and have a bit of official paper to wave at busybodies.

[TerryH]

Have stared at this http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/10/section/9 several times before trying to fathom it out...

The way I read it is
(1) license required unless:
(2) you can fell any amount of trees less than 8cm (or 15 cm coppiced) for whatever reason you wish. Also....
(3) (a) you can fell any amount of trees between 8cm to 10cm IF it is to improve growth of other tress (thinning etc) OR..
(b) you can fell anything bigger than 8cm for whatever reason you wish as long as it's no more than 5 cubic metres per quarter and that you don't sell more than 2 cubic metres of that.

Seems to me they could have simplified it a bit and just said fell for whatever reason you want without a license but only if ... as much as you want if it's up to 8cm, PLUS up to 5 cubic metres per quarter of anything bigger than 8cm.

I'm no expert so please someone correct me if I've read it wrong...

[andrewnoblewood]

Hi All,

I too have been mulling this issue over and contacted John Stafford, Forestry Commission Officer responsible for East Sussex. I put the question of exemptions to him. The answer is that the 5 cubic metres per calendar quarter rule is over and above the 8cm, 10cm and 15cm for thinning, coppicing etc. So it is well within your rights to remove the spindly trees for thinning etc. purposes AND to remove your 5 M3 allowance as per the Forestry Commission guidelines.
I'm keeping his e-mails and have downloaded the cubic capacity calculator. See link below if it works.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/TimberVolumeCalculator.pdf/$FILE/TimberVolumeCalculator.pdf