What legal penalties can be applied for violations concerning the protection of woody plants?

Felling trees and bushes without permission, without notification of felling, damaging woody plants (e.g. by excessive pruning, not fulfilling the requirement for replacement planting or other activities (damaging a significant landscape element, tree monument etc.) are classified as violations or illegal activities, the punishments for which are set out in § 87 (private individuals) and § 88 (legal entities) in Act No. 114/1992 Coll.

The Act sets out the duty of nature protection bodies to award fines for violations and illegal activities. Private individuals can be fined up to 100,000 Kč (twice as much if the violation is committed in a specially protected area). Legal entities and private individuals carrying out business activities can be fined up to 2,000,000 Kč.As well as issuing fines, the nature protection body may also make the guilty party responsible for removing the effects of the unauthorised intervention – either in the form of a return to the original condition, and if this is not possible, in the form of alternative repair measures (e.g. planting of trees or bushes, establishing new wetlands and so on).