Badgers: licence for the Forestry Commission to interfere with setts for forestry operations (CL26)
Get a licence to interfere with badger setts for the purpose of conducting forestry operations.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Only employees or approved contractors of the Forestry Commission or its executive agencies (Forestry England and Forest Research) can use this class licence.
If you’re not working for the Forestry Commission or its executive agencies, 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
- removing dangerous trees
These operations may be carried out within 20 metres of any sett.
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 you’re working on behalf of the Forestry Commission, or its executive agencies, you’ll 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 you’re a contractor working for them.
Write to or email:
Wildlife licensing
Natural England
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AH
Email wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone 0200300 8026060 10893900
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.
Details
Only employees or approved contractors of the Forestry Commission or its executive agencies (Forestry England and Forest Research) can use this class licence.
If you’re not working for the Forestry Commission or its executive agencies, 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
- removing dangerous trees
These operations may be carried out within 20 metres of any sett.
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 you’re working on behalf of the Forestry Commission, or its executive agencies, you’ll 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 you’re a contractor working for them.
Write to or email:
Wildlife licensing
Natural England
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AH
Email wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone 0200300 8026060 10893900
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.
Updates to this page
Last updated 1 January
-
Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2025. Reworded several sections to make the information clearer, including the sections on 'Registering to use this licence' and 'Recording and reporting requirements'. Updated the section, 'What this licence permits' to remove the activity, 'maintaining drainage channels with tracked mini diggers'. Added a new licence condition (condition 4). Amended licence conditions (conditions 1, 13 and 15) and an information and advice note (note a). Removed the sections, 'Forest drainage maintenance' and 'Operational guidance' and a licence condition (condition 23).
Update history
2026-01-01 00:01
Updated the licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2026.
2025-01-01 00:01
Updated this licence to cover the period 1 January to 31 December 2025. Reworded several sections to make the information clearer, including the sections on ‘Registering to use this licence’ and ‘Recording and reporting requirements’. Updated the section, ‘What this licence permits’ to remove the activity, ‘maintaining drainage channels with tracked mini diggers’. Added a new licence condition (condition 4). Amended licence conditions (conditions 1, 13 and 15) and an information and advice note (note a). Removed the sections, ‘Forest drainage maintenance’ and ‘Operational guidance’ and a licence condition (condition 23).
2024-07-11 09:42
Updated to advise that Forest drainage maintenance operations must not be conducted during February, March or April.Also updated to advise that to register to use this licence you can submit an application by email or post. To stay registered, each year you must complete the licence report form and confirm that you want to stay registered. A link to the report form has been added.
2024-01-01 00:01
There is an update to this licence for 1 January 2024.
2023-01-01 00:15
Annual licence update, valid from 1 January 2023.