Samford Peri-Urban Stem Diameter, Height and Aboveground Woody Standing Biomass Data 

This dataset contains stem diameter, tree height, and aboveground standing biomass measurements for an open Eucalypt and notophyll vine forest at the Samford Peri-Urban site. Diameter and height measurements were collected for all stems with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of ≥10 cm within a 1-hectare monitoring plot. Site establishment, survey methods, metadata, and data structure followed the TERN Vegetation Monitoring Protocols (Karan et al., 2015).

Raw stem diameter measurements were used to calculate basal area. For multi-stemmed individuals, an equivalent stem diameter was derived using the square root formula. Maximum recorded tree height for each individual plant was combined with stem diameter measurements to estimate aboveground biomass. The final dataset includes biomass estimates at both the individual plant and plot levels.

The data are available in CSV format and can also be accessed through the TERN EcoPlots Data Portal.
 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. This work was funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), an Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) project. 

This dataset records tree diameter and height data used to calculate above-ground biomass across vegetation types in Australia. This data is important for mapping and monitoring changes in plant growth, carbon storage and terrestrial energy fluxes. 

Tree survey:
All individual stems ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height (1.3 m) were mapped within each 20 x 20 m subplot to an accuracy of 0.5 m. Heights are recorded to the nearest 1 metre for each measured stem and are recorded as the length of the stem from ground to highest leaf, not height above ground level. Heights for easily visible and larger stems are measured using a Nikon laser range finder

Biomass calculation:
Above-ground biomass was calculated for each stem >10 cm diameter at breast height using the allometric equation from Chave et al 2014.
Detailed workflow and R script have been included under the Bit Bucket Repository. See Method Documentation section below for details.

Note: both alive and dead stems are included in the site level calculation of above ground woody biomass.