ForestGEO

Stephen Hubbell and Robin Foster initiated a 50-hectare forest dynamics plot on Barro Colorado Island in 1980; its first census was in 1981. In 1990, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum established the Center for Tropical Forest Science to coordinate the growing network. It was renamed ForestGEO in 2013 to reflect its global reach and expanded research scope.

References: [1]

The core protocol maps, identifies and measures woody stems at least one centimetre in diameter at breast height within a defined plot. Censuses are repeated approximately every five years, recording growth and mortality and adding stems that newly reach the size threshold. Comparable records support analysis of recruitment, survival and growth across sites.

References: [1]

Initially concentrated in tropical forests, the network began expanding beyond the tropics in 2007. Tree records are combined with investigations of soils, climate, animals and carbon cycling to study species coexistence and ecosystem functioning. Host-country partners lead individual sites within a collaborative, standardised research network.

References: [1]

Harvard Forest completed initial mapping of its 35-hectare plot in 2014, tagging and measuring more than 116,000 woody stems over one centimetre in diameter. The main phase of a second census was completed in 2019. The plot overlaps other long-term experiments, providing context for studies of changing forest composition, carbon and water.

References: [2]