We are excited to announce a significant upgrade to our commodity plot identification database. After an extensive review, we have integrated the Spatial Database of Planted Trees (SDPT) version 2.0, replacing the previous version 1.0. This latest version expands coverage to over 260 million hectares of planted forests worldwide, offering increased precision and broader geographic scope.
Key Benefits of the Upgrade:
Enhanced Geographic Coverage - The updated dataset includes newly mapped regions, improving representation and accuracy across global planted forests.
Improved Regulatory Compliance Screening - Updates to EUDR compliance-related components provide more reliable assessments, ensuring adherence to evolving regulatory standards.
Higher-Resolution Boundaries - The refined granularity of data results in more precise plot assessments, which may influence compliance statuses.
FAO's Definition of Planted Forests
Using PFv2, FAO’s definition of planted forests has evolved over time. Initially, plantations were defined as “trees established through planting and/or deliberate seeding of native or introduced species.”
Due to older plantations with low-intensity management—often excluded from statistics, particularly in Europe—FAO broadened the scope to include seminatural forests, established with native species or through intensive natural regeneration. FAO also differentiated plantation types based on productive or protective functions.
To address definitional issues, FAO introduced the term planted forests in 2006, covering ecosystems ranging from seminatural forests with light management to intensively managed tree plantations with short rotations.
New Features in SDPT v2.0
In SDPT v2.0, boundary data were added for several countries not included in v1.0, along with updates to many existing countries. The new version includes six additional boundary sources for 76 countries and updates for 64 countries. Regional datasets further enhance global coverage. (Refer to Table A-1 for details.)
Additional improvements include:
Planting Year Attribute - A new attribute estimates the year of tree establishment based on high-resolution data.
Removal Factor and Standard Deviation - These metrics allow estimation of gross carbon sequestration within planted tree polygons, enabling geographic-scale carbon assessments. Standard deviations support uncertainty estimates.
Database Format Enhancements - New attributes improve usability in programming environments.
Planting Year Attribute
Du et al. (2022) published a global planting year map based on SDPT v1.0 and an updated global oil palm map (Descals et al. 2021). Using 30-m resolution from Landsat imagery (1982–2020) and the LandTrendr algorithm in Google Earth Engine, planting years were detected and validated with data from independent assessments in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and California.
Data Coverage and Attributes
SDPT v2.0 contains 1,887 planted tree classes, including planted forests and tree crops:
76% have removal factors from IPCC (2019a).
22% use nationally focused data sources.
1% rely on Del Lungo et al. (2006).
Less than 1% are based on other publications.
Impact on Compliance Status
This data upgrade may affect the compliance status of some plots due to:
Higher-resolution boundaries.
More granular geographic information.
We recommend reviewing updated compliance statuses to ensure alignment with the new data structure.
Expanded Country Coverage
Version 2.0 introduces data for several additional countries not included in version 1.0, such as:
Burundi (BDI)
Bangladesh (BGD)
Belize (BLZ)
Brunei (BRN)
Ivory Coast (CIV)
Congo (COG)
Cape Verde (CPV)
Cuba (CUB)
Dominican Republic (DOM)
Guinea (GIN)
Gambia (GMB)
Guinea-Bissau (GNB)
Equatorial Guinea (GNQ)
Liberia (LBR)
Sri Lanka (LKA)
Pakistan (PAK)
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Senegal (SEN)
Sierra Leone (SLE)
El Salvador (SLV)
Sao Tome and Principe (STP)
Togo (TGO)
Trinidad and Tobago (TTO)
Tanzania (TZA)
Uganda (UGA)
Vanuatu (VUT)
Highlights of Data Changes
The following examples illustrate the scale of improvements in data coverage:
Brazil: Expanded from 246,643 hectares to 317,855 hectares (+22%).
Europe: Grew from 403,430 hectares to 4,125,013 hectares (+90%).
Chile: Increased significantly from 67,875 hectares to 2,690,079 hectares (+97%).
Colombia: Expanded by 82%, from 3,117 hectares to 17,629 hectares.
Cambodia: Jumped from 437 hectares to 101,697 hectares (+100%).
These expansions demonstrate the improved data granularity and breadth of the update.
Recommendations for Users
We encourage all users to:
Review Updated Compliance Reports - Verify compliance statuses for plots based on the new data.
Evaluate Geographic Coverage Changes - Assess any changes to plot boundaries due to enhanced resolution.
Contact Support for Assistance - Reach out to our support team for clarification or additional information.
Moving Forward
This update represents our ongoing commitment to providing accurate and reliable data for compliance and sustainability assessments. We remain dedicated to supporting your operational and regulatory needs through continuous improvement of our database capabilities.
Thank you for trusting us with your compliance and assessment requirements. If you have any questions about this update, please don’t hesitate to contact us!