Repeated Tree Inventories of Pine Forests in South Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 14; no. 10; pp. e70437 - n/a
• Main Authors: Feeley, Kenneth J., Belles, Holly A., Snyder, James R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.10.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Aluminum; Animal species; Biodiversity; Botany; Censuses; Community Ecology; Coniferous forests; cypress forest; Demography; Diameters; Dynamic structural analysis; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Endangered species; everglades; Forest ecosystems; Forests; Height; Myrica cerifera; National parks; Nature Notes; Oil fields; permanent plot; Persea borbonia; Pine; pine forest; Pinus elliottii; Population Ecology; Prescribed fire; Sabal palmetto; Snags; Spatial Ecology; Taxodium ascendens; Terrestrial ecosystems; Trees; South Florida; Florida; United States > US; everglades; Pinus elliottii; Myrica cerifera; Taxodium ascendens; Sabal palmetto; cypress forest; permanent plot; Persea borbonia; pine forest
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70437

ABSTRACT The natural forest ecosystems of South Florida, USA, support a high biodiversity of plant and animal species and provide valuable ecosystem services. However, these ecosystems remain poorly represented in global studies, primarily due to a paucity of standardized data. Here, we present previously unpublished data from 332 censuses of 54 permanent 1‐ha tree inventory plots in the Racoon Point area of Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, USA, including a total of nearly 100,000 measurements (diameter or height) of > 17,000 individual living trees and palms (with additional measurements of nearly 6000 dead pine snags) collected sporadically over a 19‐year period (1993–2012). These data, which were originally collected as part of a project to investigate tree responses to different experimental burning regimes, provide unique insight into the diversity, composition, structure, and dynamics of South Florida's unique and endangered pine forest ecosystems. Data files include the species identity, size (dbh = diameter at breast height), and location of all trees ≥ 5 cm dbh in 54 individual tree plots. Additional data are provided about heights of palm trees, and the location and burn history of each plot. These data are freely available for noncommercial scientific use under a Creative Commons license; users are encouraged to cite this paper when using the data. We present data from 332 censuses of 54 permanent 1‐ha tree inventory plots (Panel A) in the Racoon Point area of Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, USA, including a total of nearly 100,000 diameter and height measurements of > 17,000 individual living trees (Panel B), with additional measurements of nearly 6000 dead pine snags,collected over a 19‐year period (1993–2012).