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  • Glossary item | Last updated: 26 Mar 2024
Forest
Bioeconomy Knowledge Centre

Area of land defined by the minimum values for area size, tree crown cover or an equivalent stocking level, and potential tree height at maturity at the place of growth of the trees, as specified for each Member State in Annex V. It includes areas with trees, including groups of growing young natural trees, or plantations that have yet to reach the minimum values for tree crown cover or equivalent stocking level or minimum tree height as specified in Annex V, including any area that normally forms part of the forest area but on which there are temporarily no trees as a result of human intervention, such as harvesting, or as a result of natural causes, but which area can be expected to revert to forest.

EU, 2013, Decision No 529/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on accounting rules on greenhouse gas emissions and removals resulting from activities relating to land use, land-use change and forestry and on information concerning actions relating to those activities - OJ L 165, 18.6.2013, pp. 80–97.

Source category: EU Legislation

Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10%, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban use.

FAO. 2023. “Terms and Definitions - FRA 2025.” Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) Working Paper 194. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Source category: International Organisation