Abstract
Monitoring changes in tree cover for assessment of deforestation is a premise for policies to reduce carbon emission in the tropics. Here, a U-net deep learning model was used to map monthly tropical tree cover in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso between 2015 and 2021 using 5 m spatial resolution Planet NICFI satellite images. The accuracy of the tree cover model was extremely high, with an F1-score >0.98, further confirmed by an independent LiDAR validation showing that 95% of tree cover pixels had a height >5 m while 98% of non-tree cover pixels had a height <5 m. The biannual map of deforestation was then built from the monthly tree cover map. The deforestation map showed relatively consistent agreement with the official deforestation map from Brazil (67.2%) but deviated significantly from Global Forest Change (GFC)’s year of forest loss, showing that our product is closest to the product made by visual interpretation. Finally, we estimated that 14.8% of Mato Grosso’s total area had undergone clear-cut logging between 2015 and 2021, and that deforestation was increasing, with December 2021, the last date, being the highest. High-resolution imagery from Planet NICFI in conjunction with deep learning techniques can significantly improve the mapping of deforestation extent in tropical regions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have