In a major policy shift, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released new Model Rules for Felling of Trees in Agricultural Lands. These rules are designed to streamline and standardize regulations across States and Union Territories, making it easier for farmers to legally harvest and manage tree plantations on their farmland This initiative removes bureaucratic hurdles and disjointed state-level approaches, encouraging greater adoption of agroforestry.
A key feature is the introduction of the National Timber Management System (NTMS)—an online portal where farmers can register agroforestry plantations. It requires uploading land ownership proofs, species details, GPS coordinates, and periodic geotagged photos to ensure traceability. Harvesting requests will be submitted online, with site visits by empanelled agencies and permits issued by Divisional Forest Officers
Agroforestry offers multiple advantages:
State-level committees, as per the 2016 Wood-Based Industries Guidelines, will supervise implementation. They will empanel verification agencies to inspect plantations and harvesting applications. Divisional Forest Officers will ensure transparency and compliance. The Centre has urged all States/UTs to adopt these model rules for uniform implementation
These guidelines significantly reduce procedural delays in tree felling, enhance legal clarity, and open up new revenue streams for farmers. They also support India’s legal timber trade by ensuring authenticated timber sources, potentially boosting exports and domestic value chains
By simplifying agroforestry regulations, the new rules empower farmers to diversify income beyond traditional crops. Legal and institutional clarity helps stabilize rural finances, giving agricultural communities a stronger economic foothold.
With a focus on tree cover and biodiversity, these rules support India’s climate action pledges under the Paris Agreement. Increased agroforestry contributes to carbon sequestration, soil regeneration, and ecological resilience. Compliance is ensured through digital traceability and oversight frameworks.
Traditionally siloed agriculture and forestry sectors now find synergy. Agroforestry integrates tree cultivation with crop systems, reducing deforestation pressure and meeting timber demand sustainably. This aligns with the government’s broader environmental agenda and mitigation strategies.
The model rules set a precedent for cohesive national regulation while respecting state-level contexts. The NTMS portal signals a shift toward digital governance, transparency, and seamless processes—hallmarks of India’s push for ease of doing business in rural India.
India launched its first National Agroforestry Policy in February 2014, integrating trees into agricultural systems to promote livelihoods and environmental benefits. Despite adoption, progress was slow due to fragmented regulation across states
These guidelines, introduced as part of forest governance reform, set the foundation for state-level regulatory collaboration in tree-based industries, including timber monitoring—paving the way for today’s model rules.
Before this move, farmers had to navigate complex and inconsistent regulations under forest, environment, and agriculture laws to harvest trees. This often discouraged agroforestry and burdened natural forests.
India’s broader push for digital governance in agriculture, such as with eNAM and seed portals, set the stage for NTMS. The portal builds upon this digital infrastructure to ensure transparency, data accuracy, and coordinated monitoring.
These are standardized guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to help States/UTs ease regulations around tree felling on agricultural land. It simplifies permits and encourages agroforestry practices.
The NTMS is a digital portal developed for online registration of tree plantations on farmland, uploading geotagged images, and submitting harvesting applications to streamline permissions.
Agroforestry combines agriculture and forestry to improve farmers’ income, enhance biodiversity, reduce deforestation, and support India’s climate goals like carbon sequestration.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) is responsible for granting permission, based on site verification conducted by empanelled third-party agencies.
It creates alternative revenue streams for farmers, reduces regulatory burdens, improves the timber trade, and encourages sustainable farming practices.
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