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TRACKING FORESTS GLOBALLY
High quality, accessible, and consistent data on global forest change
Forests play a critical role in absorbing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, but high-fidelity estimates of the carbon they store are costly and impractical at scale. Our Forest Carbon data is designed to solve these challenges.
We’ve built a global dataset of aboveground forest carbon, tree height, and canopy cover estimates to make it easy to analyze every hectare of forest and woodland, anywhere on Earth. This is done using cutting edge machine learning models that fuse a rich archive of historical satellite observations with high quality, laser-derived reference data. Ideal for carbon project accounting, digital MRV, reforestation, and deforestation monitoring, Forest Carbon delivers estimates precise enough to monitor the complete spectrum of forest change, from million-acre wildfires to small agricultural clearcuts to single large tree selective harvests.
Frequent
Annual time steps in our 10-year archive and, in the future, ongoing quarterly updates to track these dynamic ecosystems.
Highly Accurate
Drawing on cutting-edge deep learning models and validated with high quality air- and spaceborne laser reference data.
Granular
Capture more complete patterns of forest change over time with archive 30m Diligence data and, in the future, quarterly 3m Monitoring data.
Scalable
A globally complete dataset and transparent pricing to reduce the need for field measurements or airborne surveys.
SCALE AND GRANULARITY
Monitor Global Portfolios with Unprecedented Detail
We produce Forest Carbon on a global scale. This means it’s straightforward to understand changes to the forests and woodlands you care about, no matter where they are. Track forests and forest carbon stocks across entire regions and within specific localities, all the way down to discrete parcels of land and even individual trees. Global coverage and tree-scale data removes the burden of needing to travel to remote locations and conduct field measurements or airborne surveys.
Global
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it as carbon in their biomass. Our dataset quantifies Forest Carbon, Canopy Height, and Canopy Cover anywhere trees grow on Earth.
Regional
Jurisdictions responsible for broad areas can track carbon stocks and forest change at a regional level to identify deforestation trends and hotspots, like this area east of the Tapajos River in Brazil.
Local
Comparing discrete parcels of land to regional baselines can help carbon project offset developers maximize their impact by understanding carbon dynamics without the need for expensive airborne or field measurement campaigns.
Tree
Even individual tree-level disturbances will be traceable when our 3m Monitoring data is available next year, helping quantify forest degradation from selective logging of high-value trees.
Global
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it as carbon in their biomass. Our dataset quantifies Forest Carbon, Canopy Height, and Canopy Cover anywhere trees grow on Earth.
HOW IT WORKS
Calibrated and evaluated with high quality airborne and spaceborne laser measurements
Drawing on cutting-edge scientific methods, we utilize deep learning models trained and validated on a massive global library of airborne LiDAR totalling more than 14 million square kilometers to produce estimates of forest height and cover. We leverage NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) spaceborne LiDAR to convert these estimates into wall-to-wall, GEDI-like, forest carbon data. Each metric relies on novel cloud masking, pixel selection, multi-sensor fusion, and temporal harmonization techniques developed to minimize year-over-year measurement variability. The result is a unique, high-quality data feed which can capture nearly tree-scale forest change globally and provide actionable monitoring of carbon stocks.
Planet’s Forest Carbon Diligence estimated aboveground live carbon (left) over a region in the Congo Basin of Central Africa. Spaceborne LiDAR measurements from the GEDI mission (center) shown as a series of sparse points across the landscape. Scatterplot with associated validation metrics comparing the observed GEDI measured carbon to Planet's predicted carbon estimates at 1 sq km resolution (right).
Planet’s Forest Carbon Diligence estimated aboveground live carbon (Top left) over a region in the Congo Basin of Central Africa. Spaceborne LiDAR measurements from the GEDI mission (Top Right) shown as a series of sparse points across the landscape. Scatterplot with associated validation metrics comparing the observed GEDI measured carbon to Planet's predicted carbon estimates at 1 sq km resolution (Bottom).
How It Can Help
Voluntary carbon markets and jurisdictional programs alike require high-quality, transparent data to assess historical and contemporary forest change
DIFFERENCE IN TOTAL ABOVEGROUND LIVE CARBON COMPARED TO 2013
(in thousand megagrams of carbon)
Aboveground Carbon Stocks Comparison:
2013 | 2,239,605 MgC vs 2022 | 1,984,071 MgC | Change: -254,534 MgC
Forest Carbon Accounting
With Forest Carbon, we empower organizations to take immediate, data-driven climate action. Forest Carbon enables the quantification of carbon stocks and forest area over time to accurately quantify losses and gains. The high precision, accuracy, and granularity provides an objective foundation for identifying and implementing improvements in carbon initiatives.
- Monitor every hectare of global portfolios
- Gather more accurate benchmarks and impacts from carbon projects
- Reduce the reliance on costly, time-consuming field and aerial surveys
Deforestation Monitoring
Forest Carbon data provides comprehensive monitoring by allowing you to detect and quantify deforestation and degradation. Stakeholders can report on their supply chains to forests globally with unprecedented granularity and confidence. In the context of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Forest Carbon dataset offers more precise data, helping define deforestation boundaries and providing crucial context regarding forest degradation and its precursors.
- Quantify the impact of deforestation with accurate, granular datasets, including Canopy Height and Canopy Cover
- Draw on accurate data for even remote areas with global coverage
- Gain historical context with a rich, consistent archive
Non-Compliance EU Deforestation in Nova Maringá, Mato Grosso, Brazil
PRODUCT COMPARISON AND PRICING
Find the Option That Fits Your Needs.
Available Now!
Forest Carbon
Diligence
Product
Archive access from 2013 at 30m resolution.
Datasets Included
- Canopy Cover
- Canopy Height
- Aboveground Live Carbon
Price per Hectare
$0.10
Coming 2024
Forest Carbon
Monitoring
Product
Quarterly updates at 3m resolution.
Datasets Included
- Canopy Cover
- Canopy Height
- Aboveground Live Carbon
- Streaming Visual Basemaps
Price Per Hectare
$0.25
Coming 2024
All-Access
Includes Diligence and Monitoring
Products
Archive 30m data and quarterly updates of 3m data
Datasets Included
- Canopy Cover
- Canopy Height
- Aboveground Live Carbon
- Streaming Visual Basemaps
Price per Hectare
Contact us for pricing
Read More
Learn about Forest Carbon, how we build this dataset, and how our partners leverage this dataset for use
BLOG ARTICLE
Learn about Planet’s acquisition of Salo Sciences, which drove the development of our Forest Carbon data.
BLOG ARTICLE
How Upstream Tech’s Lens Platform And Planet Imagery Help One Tree Planted Visualize The Future Of Global Reforestation
FAQ
Learn How to Track Forest Change Anywhere
Get more details about Forest Carbon Diligence on November 14 as part of our Agile EO webinar series. For small portfolios that need an MRV solution, head to Lens from our partner Upstream Tech to analyze trends and create polished reports. Need a high-volume data feed? Reach out and start a conversation.
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