More than one quarter of Africa’s tree cover is found outside areas previously classified as forest

Florian Reiner (), Martin Brandt (), Xiaoye Tong, David Skole, Ankit Kariryaa, Philippe Ciais, Andrew Davies, Pierre Hiernaux, Jérôme Chave, Maurice Mugabowindekwe, Christian Igel, Stefan Oehmcke, Fabian Gieseke, Sizhuo Li, Siyu Liu, Sassan Saatchi, Peter Boucher, Jenia Singh, Simon Taugourdeau, Morgane Dendoncker, Xiao-Peng Song, Ole Mertz, Compton J. Tucker and Rasmus Fensholt
Additional contact information
Florian Reiner: University of Copenhagen
Martin Brandt: University of Copenhagen
Xiaoye Tong: University of Copenhagen
David Skole: Michigan State University
Ankit Kariryaa: University of Copenhagen
Philippe Ciais: CEA/CNRS/UVSQ/Université Paris Saclay
Andrew Davies: Harvard University
Pierre Hiernaux: Pastoralisme Conseil
Jérôme Chave: Université Paul Sabatier
Maurice Mugabowindekwe: University of Copenhagen
Christian Igel: University of Copenhagen
Stefan Oehmcke: University of Copenhagen
Fabian Gieseke: University of Copenhagen
Sizhuo Li: University of Copenhagen
Siyu Liu: University of Copenhagen
Sassan Saatchi: California Institute of Technology
Peter Boucher: Harvard University
Jenia Singh: Harvard University
Simon Taugourdeau: Université Montpellier
Morgane Dendoncker: Université catholique de Louvain
Xiao-Peng Song: University of Maryland
Ole Mertz: University of Copenhagen
Compton J. Tucker: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Rasmus Fensholt: University of Copenhagen

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The consistent monitoring of trees both inside and outside of forests is key to sustainable land management. Current monitoring systems either ignore trees outside forests or are too expensive to be applied consistently across countries on a repeated basis. Here we use the PlanetScope nanosatellite constellation, which delivers global very high-resolution daily imagery, to map both forest and non-forest tree cover for continental Africa using images from a single year. Our prototype map of 2019 (RMSE = 9.57%, bias = −6.9%). demonstrates that a precise assessment of all tree-based ecosystems is possible at continental scale, and reveals that 29% of tree cover is found outside areas previously classified as tree cover in state-of-the-art maps, such as in croplands and grassland. Such accurate mapping of tree cover down to the level of individual trees and consistent among countries has the potential to redefine land use impacts in non-forest landscapes, move beyond the need for forest definitions, and build the basis for natural climate solutions and tree-related studies.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37880-4

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