Sandalwood FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - SANDALWOOD TREES

Q.Anybody can cultivate sandal in their field?

A.Yes, they can do. They can purchase the seedling from forest office (with chitta, adankal number and survey number)

Q.What to do after planting sandal in their field?

A.They can register the sandal tree in notebook of VAO that can yearly renew in register basali.
Q.Whom to contact for cutting?

A.Forest range officer
Q.What are host plants planted with sandal?

A.Tree crop like neem, etti, vagai
Q.Where to sale the sandal tree?

A.The tree to be sent to sandal tree depot and that place auction taken place.
Q.How many percentages of sale amounts of sandal by forest department?

A.20%
Q. How sandalwood can be purchased and transported?

A. Sandalwood occurs extensively mostly in the Eastern Ghats ranging from Vellore district in the North east of Tamil Nadu to the Nilgiris in the west in the dry deciduous forests of the region. In Tamilnadu only dead and drying sandal trees are brought to depots for rough cleaning and final cleaning. The final cleaned sandalwood is sold in public auction in three sandalwood depots at Tiruppattur, Salem and Sathyamangalam at regular intervals. To participate in the sale, firm or individual must register their name with the respective District Forest Officers.
The retail sale of sandalwood shall be ordered by the following officers to meet the bonafide local demands.


a) District Forest Officer Upto 5 kilograms to private individuals.
b) Conservator of Forests i) Upto 10 kilograms to private individuals.
ii)Upto 100 kilograms to temples.
c) Chief Conservator of Forests i) Upto 50 kilograms to private individuals.
ii)Upto 500 kilograms to temples.

The sale rates are fixed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and communicated to all officers once in a year. Based on the rate the sandalwood is sold in retail sale

For extraction of Sandalwood trees from private lands application shall be made to the District Forest Officer concerned in Form IV as specified in Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Transit Rules, 1967. The District Forest Officer or his authorised officers shall inspect the trees and with the consent of the owner of the land affix the departmental hammer mark on each tree and issue written permission for the extraction of the trees and grant a certificate of registration property mark in Form V for the transport of the trees by the owner to a central place for final cleaning. The pattadars will be permitted to dispose off the wood or to transport it to any other place from the Central place wherein it has been stored after obtaining specific orders of the Government.
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The possession and movement of sandalwood in Tamil Nadu is regulated under (Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Transit Rules, 1967), Tamil Nadu Sandalwood possession Rules 1970. As per Tamil Nadu Sandalwood possession Rules 1970 Rule 3(1), no person shall possess sandalwood in excess of five kilograms without a licence issued by District Forest Officer. If any person intends to possess or store sandalwood in excess of 5 kilograms he shall apply to the District Forest Officer in Form I and obtain a licence after paying the fees prescribed in sub rule (7) of rule 4.

According to Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Transit Rules 1967, no person shall import sandalwood into or export sandalwood from or move sandalwood from one place to another place in the State unless such sandalwood is accompanied either Form I/II permit referred to in Rule 4 or by a Form III way permit referred to in rule 6. The sandalwood must bear the mark of the Government Origin as provided in rule 7 of the property mark in respect of such sandalwood.

The Forest Department issues the permits mentioned above after collection of necessary fees.

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