Google Releases AI Forest Map 'ForTy' to Aid EU Deforestation Compliance

Google DeepMind and Google Research announced on October 22, 2026 (local time), the release of 'ForTy 2020', an AI-based forest type map developed jointly with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The tool aims to help companies identify deforestation risks in raw material production through more granular land classification, thereby addressing global environmental regulatory requirements.

Traditional satellite imagery often struggles to distinguish between natural forests, artificial plantations (such as palm oil farms), and reforested areas, creating ambiguity when companies claim 'forest recovery'. ForTy 2020 utilizes Google's geospatial AI model AlphaEarth Foundations, released last year, and was trained on data from approximately 1.7 million locations. It classifies global land into six categories: primary forest, naturally regenerating forest, planted forest, wood production plantation, tree crop plantation, and other land. With a resolution of 10 meters by 10 meters, it tracks annual changes in forest types from 2017 to 2025.

According to Google, validation across more than 9,000 random survey points worldwide showed a 90% accuracy rate for forest type classification and 95% for distinguishing forest from non-forest, outperforming existing global forest maps. This technology has direct application value for companies complying with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The EUDR requires importers of commodities such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, rubber, and timber to prove their products are not linked to deforestation.

Currently, many companies rely on supplier documents and field investigations to verify historical land use at production sites, which is costly and limited in coverage. ForTy 2020 is available for free under an open license via Google Earth Engine, allowing companies and research institutions to combine satellite data with AI analysis to automatically screen high-risk areas and expand monitoring scope. However, Google notes that AI analysis results cannot serve as the sole basis for final compliance decisions and must be combined with other verification methods.