New Global Forest Map Aids EU Compliance
The 10-meter resolution dataset establishes a 2020 baseline to help firms verify deforestation-free supply chains.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Geography
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Google DeepMind and the World Resources Institute have released a global forest map that categorizes land use at 10-meter resolution. The AI-generated tool is designed to help companies comply with the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products by establishing a verified 2020 baseline for global forest cover.
Why it matters
This resource provides a standardized, high-resolution dataset necessary for auditing supply chains against strict European environmental import standards. It enables more precise tracking of land-use changes by quantifying primary forests, plantations, and tree crops on a global scale.
The ForTy map provides 10-meter resolution across six land categories, achieving 90.2% accuracy in expert reviews of 8,190 sites. This represents a significant refinement over broader datasets by incorporating tree height and historical forest loss data.
The players
Google DeepMind
A research laboratory focused on deep learning and foundational AI models that provide the computational architecture for large-scale geospatial analysis.
World Resources Institute
A global research organization that works to manage natural resources and promote sustainable economic development through data-driven advocacy.
The details
ForTy utilizes the AlphaEarth Foundations model to process and compress multi-satellite data into granular pixel descriptions. Researchers employed three distinct model stages to categorize the Earth's surface, integrating localized tree height measurements and longitudinal forest loss patterns to distinguish between primary forests, plantations, and agricultural tree crops.
Timeline
2017: Satellite data coverage began in Google Earth Engine.
December 31, 2020: Cutoff date for EU deforestation-free product regulations.
July 2025: Google DeepMind introduced the AlphaEarth Foundations model.
The Tech Race
This project accelerates the integration of foundational AI models like AlphaEarth into environmental monitoring, moving beyond the static satellite imagery that defined earlier efforts. It directly competes with manual auditing processes by automating the classification of millions of hectares of primary forest.
Companies operating within the EU can utilize this map immediately to verify their supply chain compliance against 2020 land-use requirements. Future updates to the mapping tool are expected to include a dedicated classification for open woodlands, expanding the utility for agricultural auditors.
The takeaway
The map provides a standardized, verifiable reference point for land-use status as of 2020, which is critical for meeting regulatory transparency requirements. Industry participants should monitor upcoming versions of the model for improved detection accuracy in complex agricultural landscapes like tree crops.
Further reading
Explore more spatial analysis and environmental tracking in Geography.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Decoder.
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