The Government of Punjab on September 24, 2026, issued the Punjab Protection of Trees Act, 2026 to maintain green cover for ensuring ecological balance, preventing degradation of environment and conserving the soil, it is considered necessary to regulate the felling and replanting of trees in the State of Punjab.
Punjab Government has prescribed a permission framework for felling, cutting, pruning, removal or disposal of trees. Permission from the Tree Protection Officer is generally required, except for exempted trees specified in Schedule-II in urban areas and cases involving floods, storms, war-like situations or other natural/man-made calamities. In such exempted cases, the concerned agency must inform the Tree Protection Officer within 24 hours. Heritage trees may be removed only in the rarest of rare cases involving pressing development needs or grave danger, with prior State Government permission based on the recommendation of the Tree Protection Officer.
Applications must be submitted in Form A with prescribed ownership and tree details. The Tree Protection Officer must decide applications within 30 days, or within 7 days for dead/fallen trees or trees posing danger to persons or property; failure to decide within the 7-day period results in deemed permission. Any person granted permission must plant and maintain 10 trees for every tree felled, or 25 trees for every Heritage Tree. Compliance with plantation conditions must be reported within three months, failing which fines ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹50,000 per tree may be imposed.
Unauthorised felling/removal or violation of permission conditions may attract environmental compensation and penalties of up to ₹10,000 per tree, while damage to trees may attract environmental compensation and penalties of up to ₹2,000 per tree. Environmental compensation is to be used for greening activities in the respective urban local bodies. The Act also empowers the State Government to restrict felling of specified trees, grant exemptions, make rules and address implementation difficulties. The Trees Preservation Policy for Non-Forest Government and Public Lands-2024 has been repealed. Schedule-II exempts bamboo, Burma Neem/Drek, eucalyptus, poplar and subabul, subject to any additional species notified by the State Government.
[Notification No.15-Leg./2026]
