In unlicensed national forests, the felling of protected trees is prohibited.
However, nationals residing in the areas concerned may fell a limited number of trees in order to satisfy their domestic needs, in particular for firewood and building timber.
When nationals engage in artisanal logging of forests in the national domain for the purpose of marketing poles, firewood or charcoal, they must hold a tree-cutting permit.
To this end, they must provide a file containing the following documents:
- A stamped application specifying the reasons for requesting the permit;
- A copy of their national identity card;
- A list of the species requested and their location;
- Where applicable, a copy of the certificate of registration as an artisanal wood processor.
This file is forwarded to the Minister in charge of forests by the provincial head with a reasoned opinion.
Tree-cutting permits are issued by the Minister in charge of forests after examination of the file and payment by the applicant of the sale price of the timber to be cut, at the rate set by the finance law requested,
Trees authorized for felling are marked beforehand by agents of the Administration.
An ordinary tree-cutting permit is granted for a period of one year. It may be renewed by the issuing authority after verification that the holder has complied with the operating rules laid down.
A tree-cutting permit may be granted within a licensed area for species that are not commercially exploited, or for species that the licensee is not prepared to exploit.
However, this permit may not be granted on a cutting area closed to logging.
All logging under a cutting permit must comply with the relevant specifications, in particular the exploitable diameters set by the Minister in charge of forests.
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