DeepMind and WRI Release ForTy, a 10‑meter Global Map Classifying Forests and Tree Crops for 2020

Google DeepMind and the World Resources Institute have produced ForTy, the first global map that classifies land into six categories—primary forest, naturally regenerating forest, planted forest, plantation forest, tree crops such as oil palm, rubber, or cocoa, and other land—at 10‑meter resolution using satellite data and AI. The map assigns each 1‑km square the most common land‑use class in 2020, providing a reference point for the EU Regulation on Deforestation‑free Products, which requires companies to prove that goods were not linked to forest loss after December 31 2020. ForTy’s multi‑stage model, built on DeepMind’s AlphaEarth Foundations, incorporates verified examples, external data on tree height, buildings, and forest loss, and iterative active‑learning rounds that added about 43,000 expert‑labeled examples to correct errors. The dataset can also support other initiatives such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility and the UN’s 2030 land‑protection goal.