Bush means, a low, branching, woody plant, from which at maturity of the bush, an annual fruit or vegetable crop is produced for commercial purposes, such as a blueberry bush. The definition does not cover plants that produce a bush after the normal crop is harvested such as asparagus.

Commercial use means used in the operation of a business activity engaged in as a means of livelihood for profit by the eligible producer.

Commercially viable means an eligible tree, bush, or vine, though damaged, that can rejuvenate and return to an acceptable level of commercial production at some time with rehabilitation and without replanting. A commercially viable tree, bush, or vine, regardless of the extent of damage or years of reduced production, is always excluded and never included as part of mortality under § 1416.403.

County office means the FSA or U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Center that is responsible for servicing the farm on which the trees, bushes, or vines are located.

Cutting means a piece of a vine which was planted in the ground to propagate a new vine for the commercial production of fruit, such as grapes, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, or similar fruit.

Eligible nursery tree grower means a person or legal entity that produces nursery, ornamental, fruit, nut, or Christmas trees for commercial sale.

Eligible orchardist means a person or legal entity that produces annual crops from trees, bushes, or vines for commercial purposes.

FSA means the Farm Service Agency.

Lost means, with respect to the extent of damage to a tree or other plant, that the plant is destroyed or the damage is such that it would, as determined by FSA, be more cost effective to replace the tree or other plant than to leave it in its deteriorated, low-producing state.

Natural disaster means plant disease, insect infestation, drought, fire, freeze, flood, earthquake, lightning, or other natural occurrence. Each of these types of disasters must be extreme, abnormal, and damaging as well as of significant magnitude or severity, as determined by the Deputy Administrator.

Normal damage means the percentage, as established for the area by the FSA State Committee, of trees, bushes, or vines in the stand that would normally be damaged during a calendar year for a producer.

Normal mortality means percentage, as established for the area by the FSA State Committee, of expected lost trees, bushes, or vines in the stand that normally occurs during a calendar year for a producer. This term refers to the number of whole trees, bushes, or vines that are destroyed or damaged beyond rehabilitation. Mortality does not include partial damage such as lost tree limbs.

Seedling means an immature tree, bush, or vine that was planted in the ground or other growing medium to grow a new tree, bush, or vine for commercial purposes.

Stand means a contiguous acreage of the same type of trees (including Christmas trees, ornamental trees, nursery trees, and potted trees), bushes (including shrubs), or vines.

Tree means a tall, woody plant having comparatively great height, and a single trunk from which an annual crop is produced for commercial purposes, such as a maple tree for syrup, papaya tree, or orchard tree. Trees used for pulp or timber are not considered eligible trees under this subpart.

Vine means a perennial plant grown under normal conditions from which an annual fruit crop is produced for commercial market for human consumption, such as grape, kiwi, or passion fruit, and that has a flexible stem supported by climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface. Perennials that are normally propagated as annuals such as tomato plants, biennials such as the plants that produce strawberries, and annuals such as pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, and other melons, are excluded from the term vine in this subpart.