Secondary Forest Recovery and Structure in Central Amazonia

Four comma-delimited files contain measurements from ten secondary forest study sites in Amazonas, Brazil, collected from 2000 to 2001. The dataset reports estimates of leaf area index, canopy cover, aboveground biomass, and basal area, classified by growth-form and diameter class. Data was produced by ORNL_CLOUD and is associated with research by Feldpausch et al. (2005).

Use Cases

• Modeling aboveground biomass accumulation in regenerating tropical forests using diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements and allometric equations.
• Analyzing the relationship between forest age (0-14 years post-abandonment) and canopy structure metrics like leaf area index (LAI) and canopy cover.
• Comparing forest structure recovery across different cattle ranches (Fazendas Rodao, Dimona, and the Embrapa-DAS site) in central Amazonia.
• Calibrating remote sensing products for secondary forest monitoring with ground-truthed structural and biomass data.

Strengths

• Data covers a 14-year chronosequence of forest recovery across ten distinct study sites, providing temporal depth.
• Measurements include multiple structural variables (LAI, canopy cover, biomass, basal area) derived from standardized field methods (hemispherical photography and DBH surveys).
• Includes a companion file detailing the allometric equations used for biomass calculations, supporting reproducibility.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata exists for the last updated date, with one source listing 2001-09-01 and others listing 2026-03 13.
• The exact row count and column names are not provided by any source, limiting precise assessment of dataset scale and variables.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Field measurements derived from hemispherical canopy digital photographs and diameter at breast height (DBH) surveys, with biomass calculated via allometric equations.

Time Range

2000-2001

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:12:17.379626

Geography

State of Amazonas, Brazil, along road BR-174 north of Manaus, within three fazendas (cattle ranches): Fazenda Rodao (km 46), Embrapa-District of SUFRAMA (DAS) (km 53), and Fazenda Dimona (km 72).