Consistent monitoring of trees inside and outside forests is crucial for sustainable land management. This study utilizes PlanetScope nanosatellite imagery to map African tree cover, revealing that 29% of tree cover exists outside previously classified forest areas. This high-resolution mapping (RMSE = 9.57%, bias = -6.9%) enables precise assessment of all tree-based ecosystems at a continental scale, potentially redefining land use impact assessments and informing natural climate solutions.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
May 02, 2023
Authors
Florian Reiner, Martin Brandt, Xiaoye Tong, David Skole, Ankit Kariyaa, 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, Rasmus Fensholt
Tags
tree cover
sustainable land management
PlanetScope
high-resolution mapping
African ecosystems
natural climate solutions
land use assessment
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