The EU Deforestation Regulation is now in force. This 15-point checklist covers every step timber producers, sawmills, pallet manufacturers, and prefab builders need to take — from due diligence systems to documentation and certification.
Here's a sample of what's inside. Enter your email to unlock all 15 items — including the documentation templates, deadline guidance, and how to automate compliance with NFCC certificates.
EUDR distinguishes between "operators" (those placing products on the EU market) and "traders" (those making products available within the market). Your classification determines your due diligence obligations. Large operators faced mandatory compliance from December 2024; SMEs have until June 2025.
EUDR requires geolocation data (latitude/longitude or polygons) for every plot of land where commodities were produced. For timber, this means the exact forest parcels. If you can't trace to specific plots, you cannot demonstrate compliance — full stop.
The European Commission classifies countries as low, standard, or high risk for deforestation. Your due diligence requirements scale with your supplier countries' risk ratings. High-risk country suppliers require enhanced verification including third-party audits.
EUDR mandates a documented Due Diligence System — not just records, but a formal process for collecting information, assessing deforestation risk, and mitigating that risk. Paper-based systems work but create significant audit liability. Digital systems with tamper-proof records are the industry standard.
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Determine whether you are an "operator" (first place product on EU market) or "trader." Large operators: mandatory compliance from December 2024. SMEs and traders: June 2025. Your role determines the depth of due diligence required.
EUDR covers cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soya, wood, and derived products. For wood: timber (HS 44xx), paper (HS 47xx, 48xx), printed products (HS 49xx), furniture (HS 94xx), and wooden construction products (HS 44xx). Any product touching these codes requires EUDR compliance on entry to the EU market.
EUDR requires geolocation data (lat/lon coordinates or polygon shapefile) for every parcel of land where your timber was produced. For blended timber shipments (multiple forest origins), each origin must be individually mapped. Without plot-level traceability, you cannot legally place timber products on the EU market.
The European Commission classifies countries as low, standard, or high deforestation risk. Low-risk countries: simplified due diligence. Standard/high-risk: enhanced verification including third-party audits, satellite monitoring, and annual on-site inspections. Check your supplier countries' classification before each import cycle.
For each timber origin, you need: logging permit or concession agreement, proof of compliance with applicable national legislation (forest management laws, harvesting rights, CITES, indigenous rights, labor laws), and proof that production did not occur on deforested land post-December 31, 2020.
Products must not come from land deforested or forest-degraded after December 31, 2020 — the EUDR cut-off date. Verification must use satellite imagery, remote sensing data, or third-party certification (FSC, PEFC) that explicitly covers post-2020 land use. Certifications alone are not always sufficient — check scheme scope.
EUDR mandates a documented DDS — a formal process for: (1) collecting information on products and supply chains, (2) assessing deforestation and legality risks, and (3) mitigating identified risks. The DDS must be reviewed annually and made available to competent authorities on request. Digital systems provide audit-ready tamper-proof records.
Prior to placing products on the EU market, operators must submit a Due Diligence Statement (DDS) via the EU Information System (EUDR IS). The statement covers product description, quantity, origin country, geolocation data, and the due diligence conclusion. Submitting after the fact or with incomplete data is a violation.
EUDR requires your due diligence system to be reviewed and updated at minimum annually — or immediately when you add new suppliers, source from new countries, or country risk classifications change. Risk assessment must be documented with evidence, not just a checkbox.
FSC and PEFC certification can reduce (not eliminate) EUDR due diligence burdens — but only if the certification scheme explicitly covers the EUDR requirements (post-2020 non-deforestation, geolocation, legal compliance). Check which certification version your suppliers hold and whether it has been updated for EUDR compliance scope.
All due diligence records, supplier documents, geolocation data, DDS statements, risk assessments, and audit findings must be retained for a minimum of 5 years and provided to competent authorities on demand. Records stored in systems that can be tampered, lost, or inaccessible will not satisfy this requirement.
EUDR compliance must be maintained through the full supply chain — from forest to finished product. When timber is milled, manufactured into pallets, or incorporated into prefab structures, the origin traceability must carry through. Each transformation step must preserve the linkage back to the original GPS-mapped plot.
EUDR penalties include: fines up to 4% of EU annual turnover, temporary exclusion from EU public procurement, confiscation of non-compliant products, and temporary prohibition from placing further products on the EU market. Enforcement is by Member State competent authorities with 5% annual random check rates for high-risk operators.
EUDR non-compliance often originates in procurement decisions — sourcing from suppliers who cannot provide geolocation data, accepting incomplete documentation, or failing to file DDS statements before shipments. Frontline procurement and logistics staff need to understand what information to collect at source.
Manual EUDR compliance is unsustainable at scale. Each shipment requires geolocation verification, supplier document collection, risk assessment, and DDS filing. Companies with dozens of SKUs and hundreds of suppliers cannot maintain compliance manually without systematic errors or gaps. Digital certification systems that issue verifiable, tamper-proof records at each supply chain stage are the only scalable solution.
URTI's Non-Fungible Compliance Certificate (NFCC) system issues verifiable certificates at every stage of the wood supply chain — from GPS-mapped forest registration through harvest, milling, production, and final structure. Every compliance record is immutable, timestamped, and audit-ready. One system handles geolocation tracking, chain-of-custody, documentation archiving, and DDS-ready reporting.
Unlock all 15 items covering classification, traceability, due diligence systems, certification, and penalty management.