Forest structure and individual tree inventories of northeastern Siberia along climatic gradients
<p>We compile a data set of forest surveys from expeditions to the northeast of the Russian Federation, in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (59–73<span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span> N, 97–169<...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Earth System Science Data |
| Online Access: | https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/14/5695/2022/essd-14-5695-2022.pdf |
| Summary: | <p>We compile a data set of forest surveys from expeditions to the northeast of the Russian Federation, in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (59–73<span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span> N, 97–169<span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span> E), performed between the years 2011 and 2021. The region is characterized by permafrost soils and forests dominated by larch (<i>Larix gmelinii</i> Rupr. and <i>Larix cajanderi</i> Mayr).</p>
<p>Our data set consists of a plot database describing 226 georeferenced vegetation survey plots and a tree database with information about all the trees on these plots. The tree database, consisting of two tables with the same column names, contains information on the height, species, and vitality of 40 289 trees. A subset of the trees was subject to a more detailed inventory, which recorded the stem diameter at base and at breast height, crown diameter, and height of the beginning of the crown.</p>
<p>We recorded heights up to 28.5 m (median 2.5 m) and stand densities up to 120 000 trees per hectare (median 1197 ha<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>), with both values tending to be higher in the more southerly areas. Observed taxa include <i>Larix</i> Mill., <i>Pinus</i> L., <i>Picea</i> A. Dietr., <i>Abies</i> Mill., <i>Salix</i> L., <i>Betula</i> L., <i>Populus</i> L., <i>Alnus</i> Mill., and <i>Ulmus</i> L.</p>
<p>In this study, we present the forest inventory data aggregated per plot. Additionally, we connect the data with different remote sensing data products to find out how accurately forest structure can be predicted from such products. Allometries were calculated to obtain the diameter from height measurements for every species group. For <i>Larix</i>, the most frequent of 10 species groups, allometries depended also on the stand density, as denser stands are characterized by thinner trees, relative to height. The remote sensing products used to compare against the inventory data include climate, forest biomass, canopy height, and forest loss or disturbance. We find that the forest metrics measured in the field can only be reconstructed from the remote sensing data to a limited extent, as they depend on local properties. This illustrates the need for ground inventories like those data we present here.</p>
<p>The data can be used for studying the forest structure of northeastern Siberia and for the calibration and validation of remotely sensed data. They are available at <span class="uri">https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.943547</span> <span class="cit" id="xref_paren.1">(<a href="#bib1.bibx27">Miesner et al.</a>, <a href="#bib1.bibx27">2022</a>)</span>.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1866-3508 1866-3516 |