Major Update of the Copernicus Land Monitoring High-Resolution Layers for the years 2022-2023

We are thrilled to announce the release of the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) Vegetated Land Cover Characteristics (VLCC) 2022–2023 product suite!

A first release in May 2025 covered the 2017–2021 reference years. The new release expands the portfolio with more recent data, enhancing the monitoring and understanding of forest, grassland, and cropland dynamics across Europe. It supports the European Environment Agency (EEA), its stakeholders, and environmental practitioners in implementing key EU policies. Updates on grassland mowing events will be announced soon.

What’s new:

• High-resolution data for forest, grassland, and agricultural areas
• Advanced indicators on vegetation cover and dynamics
• Coverage now includes the United Kingdom for all reference years
• Designed to support evidence-based decision-making and land monitoring across Europe

Policy relevance:
The HRL VLCC data provides crucial input for key EU environmental and agricultural policies, including the:

• European Green Deal
• EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030
• Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
• EU Nature Restoration Law
• EU Forest Strategy for 2030
• and other sustainability and land management initiatives.

Looking ahead:
Production for the 2024 VLCC reference year is already underway, ensuring the continued delivery of up-to-date, high-quality land cover information across Europe and also including the United Kingdom (UK).

The HRL-VLCC 2022–2023 products are available now! Explore the data and learn more: 

• VLCC Grasslands
• VLCC Croplands
• VLCC Forests and Tree Cover