Copernicus global forest attribute layers

The spatial forest coverage is derived from the Copernicus Global Land Cover dataset for the assessment year 2019 (accessed in February 2022). We outline the procedure of pre-processing the original Copernicus data segments into a continuous global forest mask, which is compliant with the FAO forest definition. This forest mask is then analysed for various forest attribute layers summarising the spatial status of forest cover and its degree of forest degradation. The analysis is conducted in a dual approach: first, using the original WGS84 map projection for explanatory and user-friendly visualisation on web portals and second, in equal area projection allowing statistical evaluation of the forest attribute layers. Spatially explicit maps and statistical summaries are derived for a total of 278 reporting units, comprised of 255 countries, 21 global ecological zones, the EU27, and the full global coverage. <br> The full dataset, described in section 3.5 of the Technical Report (https://doi.org/10.2760/41048) is available at: https://jeodpp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ftp/jrc-opendata/FOREST/FAL/CGLO/LATEST/