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Only employees or approved contractors of the Forestry Commission can use this class licence.

If youre not working for the Forestry Commission you must use this individual licence to interfere with badger setts for forestry purposes.

This licence allows you to interfere with badger setts while conducting the following forestry operations:

• felling, snedding and converting trees with hand-held chainsaws or purpose-built timber harvesters
• extracting timber with tractors and winches or purpose-built extraction machinery such as skidders or forwarders
• clearing brash with a 360 degree tracked excavator fitted with a rake
• erecting forest or stock fencing
• managing forest rides with tractor-mounted flails, mowers and mulchers
• maintaining forest roads with tracked mini diggers and vibrating rollers
• maintaining drainage channels with tracked mini diggers
• removing dangerous trees

These operations may be carried out within 20 metres of any sett. Restrictions on when they can be carried out are set out in the licence.

Register to use this licence

This is a class licence. You need to notify Natural England in writing that you wish to use it. You must be eligible to register for this licence, that is be employed by or contracted to work for the Forestry Commission, or its executive agencies, Forestry England and Forest Research.

If youre working on behalf of the Forestry Commission, or its executive agencies, youll also need to provide the name and contact details for a Forestry Commission, Forestry England or Forest Research member of staff who can confirm that youre a contractor working for them.

Write to or email:

How to report your actions

You must send an annual record of any forestry operations conducted under this licence to Natural England by 31 January each year. You should send your report using this licence report form. Sending an annual report also renews your registration to use this licence.