Tree Preservation Orders. These are written orders made by a local planning authority (e.g. a borough, district or unitary council or a national park authority) which makes it an offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot, wilfully damage or wilfully destroy a tree protected by that order without the authority’s permission.
The purpose of a tree preservation order is to protect trees which bring significant amenity benefit to the local area. An order can protect anything from a single tree to all trees within a defined area or woodland. Any species can be protected, but no species is automatically protected by a tree preservation order.
