- Dataset Availability
- 2020-12-31T00:00:00Z–2020-12-31T00:00:01Z
- Dataset Provider
- Joint Research Centre, European Commission
- Earth Engine Snippet
-
ee.ImageCollection("JRC/GFC2020/V2")
- Cadence
- 1 Year
- Tags
Description
The global map of forest cover provides a spatially explicit representation of forest presence and absence for the year 2020 at 10m spatial resolution.
The year 2020 corresponds to the cut-off date of the Regulation from the European Union "on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation" (EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115). In the context of the EUDR, the global forest cover map can be used as a non-mandatory, non-exclusive and not legally binding source of information. Further information about the map and its use can be found on the EU Observatory on Deforestation and Forest Degradation (EUFO) and namely in the section on Frequently Asked Questions.
Forest means 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 those thresholds in situ, excluding land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use. Agricultural use means the use of land for the purpose of agriculture, including for agricultural plantations (i.e. tree stands in agricultural production systems such as fruit tree plantations, oil palm plantations, olive orchards and agroforestry systems) and set- aside agricultural areas, and for rearing livestock. All plantations of relevant commodities other than wood, that is cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya are excluded from the forest definition.
The global map of forest cover was created by combining existing global spatial layers (wall-to-wall or global in their scope), e.g. on land cover, land use, and tree height. The map aims to represent the state of forest cover by 31 December 2020. The global land cover from the ESA World Cover project serves as one baseline layer to define the extent of tree cover for year 2020 at 10 m spatial resolution. In 2024, the global map of forest cover 2020 was improved by integrating user feedback, and new or revised spatial data layers.
It now better captures temporally unstocked forests, low-density tropical forests, and secondary tropical forests that have regrown for at least five years. Additionally, the exclusion criteria have been enhanced to more effectively exclude trees in urban areas, mining sites, wetlands, areas with shifting cultivation, and tree plantations. This is achieved by utilizing multiple global maps of canopy height, crop area, and specific crop commodity maps to more accurately distinguish forests from trees under agricultural use.
For direct access and metadata, please consult the JRC data catalogue (JRC 2024). A technical report (Bourgoin et al 2024) describes the mapping approach for the first version; a technical report for version 2 is forthcoming. The global map of forest cover may be revised if new information, additional large-scale data layers, or revised global spatial data layers will be made available for year 2020.
For a list of known issues please refer to this website
Bands
Resolution
10 meters
Bands
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
Map |
Global forest cover 2020 |
Map Class Table
| Value | Color | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | #4d9221 | Forest |
Terms of Use
Terms of Use
The data may be used by anyone, anywhere, anytime without permission, license or royalty payment. Attribution using the recommended citation is requested.
Citations
Bourgoin, Clement; Verhegghen, Astrid; Degreve, Lucas; Ameztoy, Iban; Carboni, Silvia; Colditz, Rene; Achard, Frederic (2024): Global map of forest cover 2020 - version 2. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) [Dataset] PID: http://data.europa.eu/89h/e554d6fb-6340-45d5-9309-332337e5bc26
Explore with Earth Engine
Code Editor (JavaScript)
var image2020 = ee.ImageCollection('JRC/GFC2020/V2').mosaic(); var visualization = { bands: ['Map'], palette: ['4D9221']}; Map.setCenter(0.0, 0.0, 2); Map.addLayer(image2020, visualization, 'EC JRC Global forest cover 2020 – V2');