Permissions and permits

Discover when you may need a permit

The nation’s forests are fantastic locations to hold events and activities in, as well as extensive green spaces to support small businesses. If you wish to use one or more of the forests we care for to host activities and events, run a business or commercial (charged for) activities, or undertake scientific research, you must first apply for permission. These include:

sporting and leisure activities and events.
regular fitness classes/training, coaching or guiding businesses.
educational activities and events.
catering/food or beverages.
community or group activities and events.
performances and music events.

Please be aware that you should apply for permission at least eight weeks before the date of your proposed event or activity.

We have an online permissions application system to help us provide a better customer experience. One of our team will let you know if the type of event or activity you wish to carry out is being processed via this system and will advise you on what to do next.

By working together we can help everyone enjoy their visits, keep each other safe and protect the nation’s forests.  

Permissions for seed collection and filming, photography and drone use are currently dealt with separately. Find out more via the buttons below.

Seed collection Film, photos and drones

two women nordic walking with raincoats in a forest

Why you need permission

Unsurprisingly many people want to have their activity or event in great locations. The nation’s forests are popular destinations, a working environment and home to some of the country’s rarest wildlife.  

We need to balance the needs and safety of all our visitors, wildlife conservation and sustainable timber production while protecting our woodlands for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and trees to thrive.

We must be able to assess the individual and cumulative impacts of what people want to do alongside other planned activities and the needs of our daily visitors. 

Where appropriate we will charge for permission applications and for the event itself to try and at least recover our costs. The income from permissions goes directly to caring for our woodlands and managing any impact, such as additional wear and tear, to ensure they are still there to be used for events and activities in the future.

We charge for activities and events in the nation’s forests that require formal permission, although some activities or events do not require formal permission, and a few may not be chargeable. You can find more information about our charging structure in our permissions pricing document.

Please get in touch if you are not sure if you need to apply for a permission.

Permission criteria

Everything that happens in the forests will have some sort of impact. If any of the following applies to your event or activity, then you’ll almost certainly need to apply:

your event or activity will involve more than  25 people.  
you will be using animals or equipment.  
you will be charging people for your event or activity.  
your event or activity involves scientific research.

You can, of course enjoy public rights of way including footpaths and bridleways for walking, cycling or horse riding without permission. Access on foot in dedicated woodlands* does not need permission as long as it is not for commercial purposes and complies with any relevant restrictions.

If you are organising an event, even where you don’t need formal permission, we appreciate you getting in touch so we can keep track of acute or cumulative impacts on the environment or forestry operations. We can also try and prevent clashes between other events.

*Nearly all forests managed by Forestry England are dedicated forever for open access on foot. Walking in groups away from paths, for open air recreation, does not require a permit providing that the activity is not commercial and complies with national, and any local, restrictions under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

How to apply for a permission

We usually need at least eight weeks to thoroughly consider your application so leave plenty of time to apply before the date of your proposed event or activity.   The lead-in time may vary depending on location so please check with the local team.

To get started, simply contact us via the relevant email address below, with a brief outline of what you would like to do, where and when.

To help us process your enquiry more efficiently, please have the following information available in readiness:

an outline of your proposed event, activity, or reason for your permit application.
details of your organisation or group (if applicable) including contact details.
proposed date and location (the more specific, the better).
a copy of your risk assessment and relevant Public Liability Insurance.