The Parliament of Georgia considered, under an expedited procedure and in its III reading, and approved by 72 votes, the draft Law on the Special Protection of Green Plantations and State Forests within and Adjacent to the City of Tbilisi.

The draft law was presented at the plenary session by Maya Bitadze, Chair of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee.

The amendment clarifies the conditions under which the felling of woody plants is permissible when a construction permit has been issued.

Under the current law, the felling of woody plants is allowed if the plants directly obstruct construction and their preservation would make the implementation of the project impossible, provided that the required compensatory measures are carried out.

The amendment further clarifies the method for calculating the 25% limitation related to the felling of plantations. In particular, it clearly defines which categories of plants are subject to the restriction and which categories, due to their biological characteristics and ecological value, should not be included in the calculation.

The law also enables the Tbilisi Municipal Council to establish special conditions regarding the cutting down or transplantation of green plantations for the purpose of completing unfinished construction projects and replacing hazardous residential buildings.

During the second reading, the draft law underwent technical revisions and one substantive amendment. Specifically, instead of referring generally to healthy green plantations, it was clarified that diseased, dead, dying, decayed, overaged (depreciated), and hazardous woody plants are excluded from the 25% limitation calculation.

No further amendments were introduced during the III reading.