Limited felling licenses are mainly used for the felling of small-scale forests or individual trees, or for tree clearance on development sites (e.g. residential developments, windfarm development projects, etc.). Under the limited licensing procedure a replanting condition may apply, at the discretion of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which is attached to the license and can apply to other land owned elsewhere by the licensee. A limited felling license is valid for 2 years from the date of the granting of the license.  If replanting conditions apply, they must be completed within 12 months of the expiry of the license. 

Before the felling of any tree irrespective of age, or the uprooting of trees over 10 years old, the owner of the land (or someone acting on his/her behalf) must lodge a notice of intent at the Garda Siochana station nearest to where the trees are located. An FA1 Felling notice form must be lodged not less than 21 days and not more than 2 years before any tree is cut down or uprooted. Failure to do so is an offence.

There is no requirement to lodge a felling notice if there is already a valid felling license in operation or the trees in question are Hazel, Apple, Plum, Damson, Pear of Cherry tree grown for the value of their fruit or any Osier; within 100 feet of a building, or located within a city, borough or town council area (Contact the Forest service for a current list). Similarly there is no requirement to lodge a felling notice where the trees:

• Are being felled in accordance with Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993 or Section 45 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999,
• are certified as being dangerous to road traffic by a local authority on account of their age or condition are being felled by a local authority in connection with road construction, widening or improvement schemes, or building or constructional work, or
• are located on land held or managed by the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government