Not All Forests Are Equal: Mapping the World’s Forests
Explore Forest Typology (ForTy) 2020: a global 10-meter map categorizing Earth's land into six distinct forest and land-use types, plus an annual time series.
TL;DR
- Forest Typology (ForTy) 2020 is a new global map providing 10-meter resolution detail on forest and land-use types.
- It categorizes land into six types: primary forest, naturally regenerating forest, planted forest, plantation forest, tree crops/agroforestry, and other land.
- An accompanying time series tracks forest changes annually from 2017 to 2025.
- The map is essential for conservation, differentiating ecologically valuable natural forests from managed plantations and farms.
- It supports regulations like the EU's deforestation-free products rule, which requires tracking land-use changes.
- ForTy achieved 90% accuracy in classifying forest types and 95% accuracy in distinguishing forest from non-forest land during validation.
- The data is freely available on Google Earth Engine for use by governments, companies, conservation groups, and scientists.