# Forest cover analysis

Last updated: 2026-10-18

> See how much of a property had tree cover in 2000, where tree cover was lost from 2001 to 2025, and how much was gained from 2000 to 2012, from Hansen Global Forest Change data at 30 m.

Was this land forest, and when did it lose tree cover? For an afforestation, reforestation and revegetation (ARR) carbon project, that history is one of the first eligibility questions. The analysis reports tree cover in 2000 and the loss since, in hectares and on the map, plus the hectares gained from 2000 to 2012.

## Who it is for

- **Carbon project developers.** Screen candidate land for ARR before you commit to it. Land that lost tree cover recently needs a closer look, and the loss years show when.
- **Land acquisition teams.** Compare candidate properties on the same measure before deciding which ones to visit.
- **Restoration organizations and funders.** Show a site’s recent tree cover history beside the planting records, from a dataset reviewers already know.

## What goes in

A property boundary as a polygon, and these settings:

| Setting | Default | Range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum tree cover percentage to be considered forest (0-100) | 30 | 0–100 |

## Data sources

- [Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA Global Forest Change v1.13](https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/UMD_hansen_global_forest_change_2025_v1_13), by University of Maryland, Google, U.S. Geological Survey, NASA. Spatial resolution: 30 m, from Landsat. Temporal resolution: Loss each year, 2001–2025; tree cover in 2000; gain over 2000–2012. Coverage: Global. License: [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The analysis counts tree cover in 2000 at or above your threshold, then the loss the dataset recorded each year since. Cite: [Hansen et al. 2013, Science](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244693).

## What you get

- Hectares and share of the property with tree cover at or above your threshold in 2000.
- Hectares where the dataset detected tree cover loss between 2001 and 2025.
- Hectares that gained tree cover from 2000 to 2012, and a historical estimate: tree cover in 2000 that was not lost, plus that gain. It is not today’s forest area.

### Map layers

- **Tree cover 2000.**
- **Forest loss.**

## Limits

- Hansen measures cover of vegetation taller than 5 m, not land use. Tall trees in plantations, orchards and agroforestry count, and a harvested plantation shows as loss.
- 30 m pixels blur small patches and narrow strips; on properties of a few hectares, treat the numbers as indicative.
- Gain covers 2000 to 2012 only, so newer regrowth is not counted.
- Loss counts every pixel where the dataset detected it, including pixels below your forest threshold in 2000.
- It is a screening step. An eligibility decision rests on your forest definition, dated imagery and the standard’s own rules.

## Where it fits

Run it first, at pre-feasibility, on every candidate property. Land with recent loss gets a closer look; land that has been open for a long time moves on to the land structure and canopy height checks, a field visit and, later, the documents you prepare for a standard such as Verra.

## Related data layers

- Tree Cover Loss (10 Years): Landsat-derived pixels where tree-cover loss was detected, summarized over the configured ten-year window to show recent forest disturbance.
- Meta/WRI Global Canopy Height v2: Estimated top-of-canopy height from 2017–2020 imagery at about 1.2 m resolution for canopy structure and forest screening.
- Nature Trace Forest Typology 2020: Global 10 m 2020 forest typology shown as the most likely class: primary, naturally regenerating, planted, plantation, tree crops and agroforestry, or other land.

## Tools and guides

- [Geolocation file checker for Verra projects](https://restorationscope.com/tools/verra-geolocation-file-checker)
- [VM0047 field data: what an ARR project records](https://restorationscope.com/blog/vm0047-arr-field-data)
- [Carbon standards for nature projects compared](https://restorationscope.com/blog/carbon-standards-for-nature-projects)

## Questions teams ask

### Can this analysis prove ARR eligibility for Verra?

No single dataset can. Verra’s rules look at the 10 years before the start date: VM0047 excludes land that was managed forest in that period, and the VCS Standard asks for evidence that any ecosystem degradation in those years was not caused by the project. This analysis shows where a global dataset detected tree cover loss and in which years, so you know which land needs dated imagery, records or field checks before you commit.

### What tree cover threshold should I use?

The default is 30%. Use the crown cover threshold in the forest definition your country reports under the UN climate rules; those thresholds sit between 10% and 30%. You can change it before each run.

### How recent is the data?

The analysis uses version 1.13, where loss runs to the end of 2025. Gain only covers 2000 to 2012. For the land today, use recent imagery, degraded land mapping or a field visit.

### What do I need to run it?

A property boundary as a polygon, drawn on the map or imported from a KML, shapefile or GeoJSON file. The result is saved on the property, beside its other records and maps.

More: [All analyses](https://restorationscope.com/analyses). Book a call: https://cal.com/bernat/restoration-scope-initial-call