Old-Growth Sequoia Biomass and Productivity Measurements, 1972-2001

Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California provides the location for this dataset of site characteristics, stand descriptors, and calculated above-ground biomass and net primary production for an old Sequoia sempervirens stand at Bull Creek. Productivity was studied via tree re-measurement in 1972 and 2001, using allometric relationships to estimate biomass and ANPP. The data files are identical to those originally published in 2005, with only documentation updated.

Use Cases

• Modeling carbon storage in coastal redwood ecosystems based on measured tree circumference and allometric relationships.
• Analyzing long-term net primary production (ANPP) trends in a protected old-growth forest stand.
• Calibrating remote sensing biomass estimates using ground-truthed data from a high-biomass site.
• Studying tree mortality and woody detritus input over a multi-decadal period.

Strengths

• Provides a long-term measurement interval (1972-2001) for tracking forest change.
• Includes detailed estimates for above-ground biomass (>300,000 g/m2) and ANPP (600-1400 g/m2/yr).
• Data files have been checked for accuracy and are consistent with the original 2005 publication.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting last-updated dates exist across platforms (2001 vs. 2026), suggesting metadata inconsistency.
• The dataset is limited to a single, specific stand of trees, restricting broader geographic analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Tree re-measurement and allometric analysis based on a 1972 stem map.

Time Range

1972-2001

Freshness

2026-04-09 (documentation updated), but underlying data is from 2005.

Geography

Bull Creek, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, California, USA