Definition Glossary
If you need further clarification and interpretation on terms please find Section C “Terms and Definitions” in the Regulatory Module.
A
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The use of land for the purpose of agriculture, including for agricultural plantations and set- aside agricultural areas, and for rearing livestock.
D
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The conversion of forest to agricultural use, whether human-induced or not.
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Products can be considered Deforestation-free if:
The relevant products contain, have been fed with or have been made using, relevant commodities that were produced on land that has not been subject to deforestation after 31 December, 2020; and
In the case of relevant products that contain or have been made using wood, that the wood has been harvested from the forest without inducing forest degradation after 31 December, 2020
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A document confirming the implementation of a due diligence system by the operator, which encompasses information collection, risk assessment and risk mitigation measures in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of The Council of 31 May 2023. The statement affirms that the operator has conducted due diligence to ascertain that either no risk or only a negligible risk has been identified concerning the compliance of the relevant products in adherence to Article 3, point (a) or (b), and Article 4(2) and 8; of the Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 of the European Parliament and of The Council of 31 May 2023.
F
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A tract of land dominated by trees (Source: <FSC-STD-01-001 FSC Principles and Criteria for Forest Stewardship Standard> Link: https://connect.fsc.org/document-centre/documents/resource/392)
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Structural changes to forest cover, taking the form of the conversion of:
primary forests or naturally regenerating forests into plantation forests or into other wooded land; or
primary forests into planted forests
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Supply chain where every certificate holder has applied the Regulatory Module and establishes a product group for the purpose of controlling the Regulatory+ output claim. This claim can be passed on along the supply chain by certificate holders according to the requirements of this standard.
G
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The geographical location of a plot of land described by means of latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to at least one latitude and one longitude point and using at least six decimal digits.
N
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Forest predominantly composed of trees established through natural regeneration; it includes any of the following:
a) forests for which it is not possible to distinguish whether planted or naturally regenerated
b) forests with a mix of naturally regenerated native tree species and planted or seeded trees, and where the naturally regenerated trees are expected to constitute the major part of the growing stock at stand maturity
c) coppice from trees originally established through natural regeneration
d) naturally regenerated trees of introduced species
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A conclusion, following a risk assessment, that either there is no cause for concern that material from a specific geographic area originates from unacceptable sources, or that material is mixed with non-eligible inputs or material with a different origin in such a way that would not allow the level of risk related to origin to be confirmed as negligible.
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A conclusion, following a risk assessment, that there is cause for concern that material from unacceptable sources may have been sourced or entered the supply chain from a specific geographic area. The nature and extent of this risk is specified for the purpose of defining efficient mitigation measures.
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Product or material for which an organization is unable to demonstrate that it conforms to the applicable FSC certification requirements and eligibility requirements for making FSC claims.
O
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The Organization who, in the course of a commercial activity, places relevant products on the EU market or exports them.
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Land not classified as “forest” spanning more than 0,5 hectares, with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of 5 to 10 %, or trees able to reach those thresholds in situ, or with a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees above 10 %, excluding land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.
P
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Forest predominantly composed of trees established through planting and/or deliberate seeding, provided that the planted or seeded trees are expected to constitute more than 50 % of the growing stock at maturity; it includes coppice from trees that were originally planted or seeded.
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Land within a single real-estate property, as recognised by the law of the country of production, which enjoys sufficiently homogeneous conditions to allow an evaluation of the aggregate level of risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with relevant commodities produced on that land.
The information through geolocation depends on the size of the land.
For land under 4ha or 4ha:
Provide geolocation using either a polygon or a single point with latitude and longitude coordinates specified to six decimal digits.
For land over 4ha:
Provide geolocation data using polygons with an adequate number of latitude and longitude points to outline the perimeter of each plot.
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Naturally regenerated forest of native tree species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed.
R
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A claim made on sales and delivery documents used in combination with the FSC claim (excluding FSC Recycled), for products based on inputs exclusively of material which has been assessed to be in conformity with the requirements of <FSC-STD-01-004 FSC Regulatory Module>. The organization may use the abbreviation of the Regulatory claim "REG" in sales documentation. In addition, the organization may identify products exclusively made of input materials from a fully verified supply chain by adding a plus symbol to the Regulatory claim, i.e., Regulatory+ or REG+
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The laws applicable in the country of production concerning the legal status of the area of production in terms of:
a) land use rights
b) environmental protection
c) forest-related rules, including forest management and biodiversity conservation, where directly related to wood harvesting
d) third parties’ rights
e) labour rights
f) human rights protected under international law
g) the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), including as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
h) tax, anti-corruption, trade and customs regulations
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An action that the organization shall take to mitigate the risk of sourcing material from unacceptable sources.
S
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1. In applying one or more of the options in Article 36, Member States shall define micro-undertakings as undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria:
a) balance sheet total: EUR 350 000
b) net turnover: EUR 700 000
c) average number of employees during the financial year: 10.
2. Small undertakings shall be undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria:
a) balance sheet total: EUR 4 000 000;
b) net turnover: EUR 8 000 000;
c) average number of employees during the financial year: 50.
Member States may define thresholds exceeding the thresholds in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. However, the thresholds shall not exceed EUR 6 000 000 for the balance sheet total and EUR 12 000 000 for the net turnover.
3. Medium-sized undertakings shall be undertakings which are not micro-undertakings or small undertakings and which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria:
a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000
b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000
c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250
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A duly reasoned claim based on objective and verifiable information regarding non- compliance with this Regulation and which could require the intervention of competent authorities.
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The geographical area from which material is sourced. The supply area does not need to be defined as a single contiguous area; it may comprise multiple separate areas that span multiple political jurisdictions including countries or multiple forest types.
T
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Any person in the supply chain other than the operator who, in the course of a commercial activity, makes relevant products available on the market.