Forest use in modern law
The classical forest use license no longer exists in the Forest Code of Georgia: the modern regime rests on contract and auction. The right of special forest use arises on the basis of a contract concluded taking into account the results of the relevant auction, in the manner established by the Code and by the regulation on the rules of forest use. So if you are looking for a "forest license," in reality you are dealing with a contract obtained by winning an auction — and this change is reflected in detail below on this page.
The system of forest categories is a cornerstone of this regime: protected, protective, resort-recreational, economic and protected-area forest are filled with different types of use. In a protective forest, for example, all types are admissible except the preparation of timber by economic felling and the extraction of subsoil, and only with defined exceptions; a similar restriction applies in resort and recreational forest. Therefore the very first step of a project is to inquire about the category of the specific plot — everything follows from it, from the auction conditions to the content of the contract.
Types of special forest use
Article 37 of the Code governs the types of special forest use: the preparation of timber by economic felling; the preparation of non-timber forest resources, products of woody plants and secondary wood materials; the establishment of plantation farming; forest use for agricultural purposes; use for resort, recreational, sports and other cultural-health purposes; the establishment of fish farming or hunting farming; the arrangement of animal shelters and breeding stations; the placement of line structures of electronic communication networks; use for scientific-research and educational purposes; and use for special purposes. Several types may be carried out simultaneously per unit of area if they do not substantially impede each other. The category of the forest determines which types are admissible: in a protected forest, for example, economic felling is possible only in the form of sanitary felling on slopes of up to 6 degrees in existing acacia groves and in certain forests of the Colchis lowland.
The origin of the right and the document
Special forest use without a document confirming the relevant right is prohibited. A natural person prepares firewood to meet the need for firewood on the basis of a timber preparation ticket issued by the forest management body. In a case of urgent necessity, during emergency-restoration works on an object, special-purpose use without a document is admissible, but the performing person must notify the management body of the start of the activity within a reasonable period and apply with a statement for obtaining the document within 1 month of starting the activity. An interested person carries out the other types under a contract concluded taking into account the results of an auction.