Global Tree Species Trait Data for 47,828 Species with Imputed Values

47,828 tree species are represented with trait data for 18 traits, including wood density and leaf area. The data, created by Daniel Maynard, contains both observed and imputed values from a 2022 study and was last updated in April 2026. It supports a consensus clustering method for classifying species into functional groups while accounting for trait uncertainty.

Use Cases

• Classifying tree species into functional groups based on the 18 provided traits.
• Analyzing trait correlations and uncertainty using the provided observed and imputed values.
• Mapping functional diversity using the included spatial grid coordinates and diversity metrics.
• Validating species name matches between different taxonomic databases like BGCI and GlobalTreeSearch.

Strengths

• Includes data for 47,828 tree species, providing a broad taxonomic scope.
• Covers 18 distinct traits per species, such as wood density and leaf area.
• Provides both observed trait values and values imputed using a quantile random forest method.
• Links to taxonomic metadata and spatial diversity metrics for integrated analysis.

Limitations

• Row count for the primary trait table is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation for some files is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic or taxonomic bias inherent to the source databases.

Provenance

Source

Trait data is from Maynard et al. (2022, Nature Communications); species lists are from Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and GlobalTreeSearch.

Collection Method

Trait values include both direct observations and predictions from phylogenetic imputation and quantile random forest models.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 17:05:23; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Global, as indicated by the global tree species case study and spatial grid coordinates.