TROPIS: Global Tree Growth and Permanent Plot Information System

TROPIS (Tree Growth and Permanent Plot Information System) is a database sponsored by CIFOR to promote the use of existing data on tree growth. It contains an index of people, institutions, and permanent plots in both planted and natural forests worldwide. The system is structured hierarchically around informants and their plot series, facilitating searches for plots by criteria like location, forest type, and taxa.

Use Cases

• Finding comparable study sites for ecological research based on location, forest type, and taxa criteria.
• Estimating tree growth in data-scarce regions using the system's described inference capabilities.
• Managing and cross-checking long-term permanent plot data from diverse contributors.
• Identifying experts and institutions holding specific plot data for collaboration or data sharing.

Strengths

• Designed as a relational database for efficient error-checking, updating, and complex searches.
• Includes data on both current and historical (abandoned) plots, provided location and data are known.
• Structured to maintain continuity by recording multiple contact people associated with plots.

Limitations

• Row count, column definitions, and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• The description indicates online self-service searching was planned for 1997; current access method is unclear.
• Data may reflect geographic and institutional bias inherent to the contributor network.

Provenance

Source

CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research).

Collection Method

Compiled from a network of contributors willing to share permanent plot data.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Global coverage of planted and natural forests.