Canadian Forest Cover Map for 2022 Based on FAO Definitions and Satellite Data

Natural Resources Canada provides a satellite-based map of forest area for 2022, consistent with FAO definitions. The data is developed within Canada's National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS) framework and includes areas where tree cover has been temporarily lost to disturbances like fire or harvest. Methodology and accuracy are detailed in the cited 2020 publication by Wulder et al.

Use Cases

• Monitoring national forest cover change based on FAO definitions mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the spatial impact of stand-replacing disturbances like fire and harvest based on the temporally informed forest area data
• Validating land use and land cover models using the satellite-based methodology referenced in the description

Strengths

• Data is produced by Natural Resources Canada, a national government agency
• Methodology is peer-reviewed and published in a 2020 forestry journal article
• Adheres to the international FAO definition of forest area, which accounts for temporary losses

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Natural Resources Canada

Collection Method

Satellite-based monitoring within the National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS) framework

Time Range

2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-16 16:03:58.099368; freshness should be verified

Geography

Canada