The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is responsible for protecting trees within the National Park.
Please note that the information provided on this page is designed to assist anyone who has queries on protected tree issues in the National Park and is for guidance only - it is not an authoritative statement of law.
With protected trees and all other issues concerning trees and woodlands, we offer and recommend personal contact and advice - our details on the contact us page.
When is a tree protected?
Trees are protected when they:
- Have a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on them.
- Are in a Conservation Area.
- Are subject to one or more planning conditions.
Additional restrictions may apply if you intend to fell more than five cubic metres of wood in any one calendar quarter. If this is the case, you need to contact the Forestry Commission as well as the National Park Authority.
Protected trees
If you are considering doing any works to trees or woodlands in the National Park, you will need to establish if they are protected by contacting the Trees & Woodlands team. We will be able to advise if the tree is subject to a Tree Preservation Order or within a Conservation Area. Full details of designations are available to view at our Grassington office during normal business hours.
Legal enforcement
We are committed to achieving National Park purposes through co-operation rather than through legislation. However in some cases legal enforcement is required, for example when work is carried out on protected trees without the necessary consent or notification. You can find out more about such enforcement by downloading and reading the following document:
Applying to carry out work
If you intend to carry out any work on protected trees within the National Park you will need to submit a completed application form.
Legislation covering protected trees was implemented on 1 October 2008 under the Town and Country Planning (Trees) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2008. All applications now have to be on a standard Government form. You can download the forms and get further information on making applications below:
- Application form to carry out works to a tree covered by a TPO
- Application form to carry out works to trees in a conservation area
- Guidance notes on how to complete the application form
Our General Privacy Notice outlines our use of Personal Data under the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).
Delegation notices for works to trees in the National Park
As of September 2017, the Authority now publishes a list of all delegations relating to works carried out to trees that are within a Conservation Area or that are protected by a Tree Preservation Order.
If you would like more information regarding a particular delegation, or information about works to trees that were carried out before September 2017, please contact the Trees and Woodlands Team.