Global Maps of Tree Density at Biome and Ecoregion Scales

Two global raster maps of tree density, one modeled at the biome scale and the other at the ecoregion scale, produced by Thomas W. Crowther and colleagues. The maps were generated using linear regression models based on over 420,000 ground-sourced estimates and vegetative, climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic variables. They were initially published in 2015 and the data was explicitly published in 2016.

Use Cases

• Modeling global carbon storage based on tree density estimates mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing large-scale forest distribution patterns based on biome and ecoregion models.
• Assessing the impact of climatic and anthropogenic variables on tree density using the described regression models.
• Comparing biome-level versus ecoregion-level estimates of tree density for regional studies.

Strengths

• Based on over 420,000 ground-sourced estimates of tree density from around the world.
• Provides two distinct global models (biome-scale and ecoregion-scale) for comparative analysis.
• Modeling incorporated multiple variable types: vegetative, climatic, topographic, and anthropogenic.

Limitations

• Transitions between biomes or ecoregions may be unrealistically harsh, as noted in the description.
• Estimates for Mangroves and Tropical coniferous forest biomes are considered less reliable due to data limitations and the use of ecological analogy.
• Fine-scale pixel-level estimates are less robust than country-scale or larger estimates, as the study prioritized broad spatial scales.

Provenance

Source

Thomas W. Crowther, associated with papers from 2015 (Crowther et al) and 2016 (Glick et al).

Collection Method

Linear regression models constructed from ground-sourced estimates and environmental variables, implemented in R. Mapping was done using R and ArcGIS 10.1.

Geography

Global