Forestry Legislation
Forestry in Ireland operates within a legal and regulatory framework, and those involved in forest operations must be familiar with the various requirements entailed. The following lists relevant Irish and EU legislation, together with the various international protocols which have a bearing on forest practice in Ireland.
NOTE: The Forest Service is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of existing forestry legislation. Click here for further information.
All of the following legislation is summarised in the Code of Best Forest Practice which can be obtained by clicking on the highlighted text:
Code of Best Forest Practice
Legal and Regulatory Framework relevant to Irish Forestry
- Forestry Act 1946
- Forestry 1946 (Part IV) Regulations 1949
- Forestry Act 1956 (repealed by Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000)
- Forestry Act 1988
- Local Government (Planning and Development) Acts 1963-1996
- Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts 1977-1990
- Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992
- National Monuments Acts and Amendments 1930-1994
- Wildlife Act 1976
- Roads Act 1993
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 299/2007)
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 504/2006)
- Occupiers Liability Act 1995
- Waste Management Act 1996
- Litter Pollution Act 1997
- Local Government (Planning Development) Regulations - Environmental Impact Assessment - Statutory Instrument No. 100 of 1996
- European Communities (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations - Statutory Instrument No. 101 of 1996
- Planning and Development Act 2000
- Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000
- European Communities (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations 2001 - Statutory Instrument No. 538 of 2001
- Planning and Development Regulations 2001 - Statutory Instrument No. 600 of 2001
- Employment legislation
- Transport legislation
- S.I. No. 168 of 2006, European Communities (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Forestry Consent System) (Amendment) Regulations 2006
- S.I. No. 592 of 2006, European Communities (Aerial Fertilisation) (Forestry) Regulations 2006
- S.I. No. 790 of 2007, European Communities (Aerial Fertilisation) (Forestry) (Amendment) Regulations 2007
EU Legislation
- Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora
- Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds
- European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1997
- Council Directive 66/404/EEC on the marketing of forest reproductive material and Council Directive 71/161/EEC on external quality standards for forest reproductive material marketed within the Community
- Council Directive 1999/105/EC on the marketing of forest reproductive material
- Council Directive 77/93/EEC on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community
- EU Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 85/337/EEC
- EU Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 97/11/EEC
- EU scheme on the protection of forests against atmospheric pollution (Council Regulation EEC 3528/86)
International Protocols
- OECD Scheme for the Control of Forest Reproductive Material moving in International Trade
- Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
- United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
- Climate Change - UN Framework (1992)
- Helsinki Protocols arising from the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, Helsinki, 1993
- Lisbon Protocols arising from the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe, Lisbon, 1998
- Kyoto Protocol, 1997
Copies of Irish Legislation can be obtained from the Attorney General's website or by mail from:
Government Publications
4-5 Harcourt Road
Dublin 2
Tel: 01-6476000
