Google DeepMind and partners release 10-meter global forest typology map to track deforestation and forest conversion

Google DeepMind, Google Research, the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) released Forest Typology (ForTy) 2020, a global map that categorizes every 10-by-10-meter patch of land on Earth into six distinct forest and land-use types. The map uses UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) definitions to classify land into: primary forest, naturally regenerating forest, planted forest, plantation forest, tree crops and agroforestry, and other land.

Alongside the map, the partners released an early time series tracking annual changes in forest types from 2017 to 2025. This time series allows users to see not only where forest loss occurred, but what replaced it—such as timber plantations, tree-crop farms, or other land uses. The data is intended to support the European Union’s deforestation regulation (EUDR), which requires products like coffee, cocoa, or palm oil to be deforestation-free.

The initiative builds on a 2020 map released last year, Natural Forests of the World 2020, which distinguished natural forests from other tree cover. ForTy expands this by specifying the type of forest or land use, providing a more granular baseline for regulators and companies to implement deforestation-free commitments and track forest degradation over time.