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Portable sawmill for a small woodland

Updated: 22 October 2026

You own the wood, or the garden with the tree in it, and a portable sawmill small woodland search has started to look like permission. It is not. In England the legal step is felling a growing tree. Milling a log already on the ground is a different question from whether that felling was allowed. This page is the allowance, the tree preservation order, and the machine that fits a small volume. It is not a cut tutorial, and it is not legal advice. The listings are in our [mobile sawmill comparison](/hub/power-saws/mobile-sawmill), read on 20 October 2026 by Peter F. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You own the wood, or the garden with the tree in it, and a portable sawmill small woodland search has started to look like permission. It is not. In England the legal step is felling a growing tree.

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On this page
  1. 1.The licence is about felling, not about the mill
  2. 2.The England quarterly allowance
  3. 3.A TPO can still apply
  4. 4.What you bring into the wood

The licence is about felling, not about the mill

A mill does not license the felling. GOV.UK’s page is about growing trees in England. The Forestry Commission is asking whether the tree should have been felled, and how much you have felled this quarter. The Forestry Act 1967, section 9, is the duty to get a licence, with exceptions that include gardens, orchards, churchyards, public open space, and topping or lopping. A garden is not a slogan that covers every tree, and a tree preservation order can still apply. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different bodies: Scottish Forestry and Natural Resources Wales. Do not copy the English cubic metres across the border.

The England quarterly allowance

In England, GOV.UK states that you need a felling licence if you fell more than 5 cubic metres in a calendar quarter, and that you may sell no more than 2 cubic metres of that 5. The Forestry Commission booklet of July 2025 starts those quarters on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. The usual diameter is 8 cm over bark at 1.3 m, or 15 cm for coppice. Thinner stems sit outside that rule. The booklet describes an unlimited fine and a restocking notice where the rules are broken, and it tells you to keep evidence of what you felled. Five cubic metres is a small pile of whole stems. Boards you sell still count toward the 2. Giving them away does not raise the 5.
XSLOER XSLOER 36 inch chainsaw mill

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XSLOER XSLOER 36 inch chainsaw mill
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A TPO can still apply

A tree preservation order prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting the protected tree without the local authority’s written consent. That is GOV.UK’s wording, and it applies whether or not you also needed a felling licence. A garden exception does not switch a TPO off. In a conservation area, give six weeks’ notice if you are not already inside a felling-licence application. The Forestry Commission booklet says to tell the Commission when a TPO or a conservation area applies. Those two notifications are not substitutes. If you do not know whether the tree is protected, ask the council’s tree officer before you mark a felling cut. How to take the first face, once felling is allowed, is on how to use a chainsaw mill.

What you bring into the wood

The Chilterns note says a chainsaw mill suits minor amounts, milled where the tree fell, and that a bandsaw is the usual hire when the work is larger. A horizontal frame here weighs about 8 kg and costs about £70–£125. One Small Woods Association account says bringing the mill to the tree avoids moving large timber. That does not change the licence. Do not fell the extra stem that would put you over 5 cubic metres, or over the 2 you may sell. Kerf and hire are on chainsaw mill or bandsaw mill. The bar window is on the chainsaw mill buying guide.

Common questions

Can I mill a tree I already felled?
Milling is not the act the England felling licence describes. The licence is about felling growing trees. A log already on the ground can be milled without that step happening again. That does not repair a felling that should have had a licence or a TPO consent at the time. If you do not know how the tree came down, find out before you turn it into boards you might sell. This is not legal advice.
How much can I fell in a quarter in England?
GOV.UK states 5 cubic metres in a calendar quarter without a licence, and no more than 2 cubic metres of that may be sold. The July 2025 Forestry Commission booklet starts those quarters on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. The usual diameter is 8 cm over bark at 1.3 m, or 15 cm for coppice. Keep a note of what you felled. The booklet describes an unlimited fine and a restocking notice if you get this wrong.
Does selling the boards change the allowance?
It uses the tighter cap. You may fell up to 5 cubic metres in the quarter and sell up to 2 of them. Boards you sell still count toward the 2. Selling does not reset the 5, and it does not create a trade allowance on top. If the point of the mill is to sell timber, measure the sale before you fell the tree, not after the boards are stacked.
What if the tree is in a garden?
The Forestry Act 1967 lists gardens, orchards, churchyards and public open space among the exceptions, along with topping and lopping. A garden tree is often outside the felling licence for that reason. The exception is not a blanket you should assume without reading which tree and which land you have. A tree preservation order can still require the council’s written consent. Check both, rather than only the word garden.
Do I also need to check a TPO?
Yes, if there is any chance the tree is protected. A TPO prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting without the authority’s written consent. In a conservation area, give six weeks’ notice unless the work is already inside a felling-licence application. Tell the Forestry Commission as well when those protections apply. The mill you own does not replace either step.

Related pages

Best portable chainsaw mill UK

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Chainsaw mill vs bandsaw mill: kerf, weight and hire

How to use a chainsaw mill: first face, oil, wedges

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf date 20 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, when a felling licence is needed (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Forestry Act 1967, section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved October 2026)
  4. HSE, chainsaw PPE (retrieved October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, supply of machinery regulations (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Chilterns, on-site sawmilling (retrieved October 2026)
  7. Brian’s of Risborough, Granberg MKIV (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Logosol UK, F3 chain sawmill (retrieved October 2026)