Zwickau City Council protects deciduous trees: new wood protection statute adopted!

Zwickau City Council protects deciduous trees: new wood protection statute adopted!

Zwickau, Deutschland - On July 15, 2025, the Zwickau city council decided to make fundamental changes in dealing with trees. These innovations were published on July 4, 2025 in the electronic official gazette of the city of Zwickau and came into force on July 5. The aim of the new wood protection statute is to maintain the valuable deciduous trees and hedges in the city in the long term and at the same time simplify the administrative procedures in order to meet the citizens: inside, as zwickau.de

A significant change affects the felling permits. So far, an application for the precipitation has been necessary, now an advertisement on wood removal at the Office for Environment and Urban Planning is sufficient. This ensures quick processes: If no feedback takes place within three weeks, the felling may be carried out taking into account the cutting ban, which applies from March 1 to September 30th.

protective measures and compensation payments

Another central point of the new regulation is the protection of deciduous trees with a trunk circumference from 100 cm at one meter, as well as birch, poplars and pastures. However, needle trees and vacant shrubs are no longer under the protection. If a wooden owner wants to make a tree, this must be compensated for by a replacement planting in a ratio of 1: 1, whereby it is possible in exceptional cases to deviate from this rule. If a replacement planting is not possible, the owner can make a compensation payment of 750 euros per tree to the city of Zwickau.

In order to avoid misunderstandings of the old statutes, the city now offers a claim for advice on the legal basis, replacement plantings and tree care measures. This is particularly important, since the legal framework in relation to the ban on cuts and special species protection are now more clearly. Other legal areas, such as monument protection or planning law, can also result in restrictions on felling, such as district-zwickau.de explained in your leaflet.

overview of tree protection regulations

The topic of tree protection is not new in the Zwickau district. Similar protective statutes already exist in many cities and municipalities. Before falling, residents should always inquire with the responsible authorities whether approval is required. In addition, the Federal Nature Conservation Act regulates that cutting or removing trees during the vegetation period is generally prohibited, and thus emphasizes the protection of nature.

Compliance with tree protection regulations is also important because violations can be treated as an administrative offense, with possible fines of up to 25,000 euros or even 50,000 euros. In the event of justified inquiries, however, the lower nature conservation authority can give exceptional permits to react to special situations, emphasizes nabu.de.

The city of Zwickau also provides a comprehensive information offer. On your website, not only the application forms for the trees can be called up, but also valuable tips on plantings and legal framework conditions can be found. This promotes a transparent and citizen -friendly handling of local trees.