Get a NIS if you want a forestry licence

Wait nine months for a DAFM ecologist to work on your licence

Be prepared to hire a suitably qualified person to prepare a Natura Impact Statement if applying for a forestry licence.

With a current waiting time of over nine months for an ecologist in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to work on a forestry licence application, applicants have been advised that submitting a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) for the licence would significantly speed up processing.

Delays are due to a large number of forestry-related applications awaiting completion of the Appropriate Assessment legal requirement to rule out the possibility of an adverse effect on an EU-designated site (Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area).