[Dataset:] Barro Colorado 50-ha Canopy Density Data

Abstract

A precise census of canopy density was carried out across the Barro Colorado 50 ha tree census, recording vegetation density in several vertical layers at a horizontal scale of 5 m. The census was done annually in 23 years between 1983 and 2012. The full dataset, including details on the methods, is available here: two zip files included here complete tables of data in ascii format, and the html file offers detailed descriptions of methods. The canopy data can be used to produce maps of vegetation density, showing where there are gaps in the canopy at any depth or predict tree growth based on canopy openness (http://richardcondit.org/data/canopy/bciCanopyReport.php and see Rüger et al., Ecology, 93:2626–2636). The three-dimensional map of canopy density was intended to help understand how tree growth and recruitment responds to canopy openness. Detailed descriptions of the 50-ha plot methods and data are provided by Condit (Tropical Forest Census Plots, Springer-Verlag 1998) and Condit et al. (http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/data.bci.20130604).