BeechCOSTe52: European Beech Tree Phenotypic Trait Measurements from 39 Trial Sites

The BeechCOSTe52 database includes phenotypic trait measurements from individual European beech trees measured in an international network of provenance tests compiled by the COST Action E52 between 2006 and 2010. It comprises 39 trial sites and 217 provenances covering the distribution of European beech, providing individual tree measurements of height, diameter, mortality, and leaf phenology. The dataset was compiled by T. Matthew Robson of the University of Helsinki.

Use Cases

• Modeling tree growth and survival based on height, diameter, and mortality measurements.
• Analyzing geographic variation in spring and autumn leaf phenology across provenances.
• Mapping phenotypic trait variation across trial and provenance locations using the provided geospatial coordinates and R scripts.

Strengths

• Includes data from 39 trial sites and 217 provenances, providing broad geographic coverage.
• Provides individual tree measurements for multiple phenotypic traits, including height, diameter, and phenology.
• Comes with supporting R scripts for data subsetting, merging, and visualization.

Limitations

• Row count and file sizes are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after downloading the metadata file.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

COST Action E52 (2006 – 2010) international network of provenance tests, compiled by T. Matthew Robson, University of Helsinki.

Collection Method

Measurements from individual trees in provenance trials.

Time Range

2006 – 2010

Geography

Distribution of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) across Europe.