Data from: The contribution of small trees to carbon stocks along a recovery gradient in the Amazonia
Data files
Jul 01, 2026 version files 33.04 KB
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Cardoso_et_al_2026_field_inventory_data.csv
15.22 KB
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Cardoso_et_al_2026_remote_sensing_data.csv
7.67 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
This dataset contains aboveground carbon (AGC) stock data from 126 secondary forest plots (0.25 ha each) distributed across 16 municipalities in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, State of Pará. Data were collected along a chronosequence ranging from 1 to 120 years since abandonment, totaling 26,010 woody individuals (trees and palms) classified into two size classes: small individuals (DBH 2–9.9 cm), sampled in five nested subplots (5 × 20 m each), and large individuals (DBH ≥ 10 cm), sampled across the entire plot area (10 × 250 m). For each individual, diameter at breast height (DBH), species identification, and estimated total height were recorded. Aboveground biomass was estimated using species-specific allometric equations for trees (Chave et al. 2014) and palms (Goodman et al. 2013, 2014), with AGC calculated as 45.6% of aboveground biomass (Martin et al. 2018). The dataset also includes satellite-derived carbon estimates from the ESA CCI Above-Ground Biomass product (version 5.01; Santoro & Cartus 2024) extracted for 74 plots with temporal overlap between field inventory and satellite acquisition years. These data can be used to investigate carbon recovery dynamics in tropical secondary forests, evaluate the contribution of different size classes to carbon stocks across successional gradients, and validate satellite-derived biomass products against field measurements. No legal or ethical restrictions apply to this dataset.
Authors: Luiz Antonio Soares Cardoso, Fernando Elias, Eduardo Queiroz Marques, Lorrayne Aparecida Gonçalves, Joice Nunes Ferreira, Erika Berenguer, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Jos Barlow, Izildinha de Souza Miranda, Marcelo Tabarelli, Rodrigo Oliveira do Nascimento, Luiz Eduardo Oliveira e Cruz de Aragão, Gustavo Schwartz, Divino Vicente Silvério
Journal: Ecosphere
Year: 2026
Dataset DOI: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.6t1g1jxdp
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DATASET OVERVIEW
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This dataset contains aboveground carbon (AGC) stock data from secondary forests along a successional gradient in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon. Data were collected across 126 plots (0.25 ha each) distributed across 16 municipalities in the state of Pará, Brazil, spanning a chronosequence of 1 to 120 years since land abandonment.
The dataset is divided into two files:
- Cardoso_et_al_2026_field_inventory_data.csv
Field-based carbon estimates for all 126 plots, including biomass and carbon stocks for small (DBH 2–9.9 cm) and large (DBH ≥ 10 cm) individuals. - Cardoso_et_al_2026_remote_sensing_data.csv
Field-based and satellite-derived carbon estimates for 74 plots with temporal overlap between field inventory and European Space Agency (ESA) CCI-AGB data acquisition years.
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FILE 1: Cardoso_et_al_2026_field_inventory_data.csv
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Number of rows: 126 (one per plot)
Number of columns: 12
COLUMN DESCRIPTIONS:
plot_id
- Plot identification code
- Format: site abbreviation + plot number (e.g., APA_01)
responsible
- Surname of the researcher responsible for data collection
- Values: elias, vieira, berenguer
latitude
- Plot centroid latitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
longitude
- Plot centroid longitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
census_year
- Year in which the field inventory was conducted
forest_age_years
- Estimated number of years since land abandonment
- Determined by landowner interviews (n = 69 plots) or analysis of historical Landsat satellite imagery (n = 57 plots)
biomass_small_Mg_ha
- Aboveground biomass of small individuals (DBH 2–9.9 cm) in Mg ha⁻¹
- Estimated using Chave et al. (2014) allometric equation for trees and Goodman et al. (2013, 2014) for palms
- Sampled in five nested subplots (5 × 20 m each; 500 m² total)
Values extrapolated to hectare
biomass_large_Mg_ha
- Aboveground biomass of large individuals (DBH ≥ 10 cm) in Mg ha⁻¹
- Estimated using Chave et al. (2014) allometric equation for trees and Goodman et al. (2013, 2014) for palms
Sampled across entire plot area (10 × 250 m; 2500 m²)
Values extrapolated to hectare
biomass_total_Mg_ha
- Total aboveground biomass (small + large individuals) in Mg ha⁻¹
carbon_small_Mg_ha
- Aboveground carbon stock of small individuals (DBH 2–9.9 cm) in Mg C ha⁻¹
- Calculated as 45.6% of biomass_small_Mg_ha (Martin et al. 2018)
carbon_large_Mg_ha
- Aboveground carbon stock of large individuals (DBH ≥ 10 cm) in Mg C ha⁻¹
- Calculated as 45.6% of biomass_large_Mg_ha (Martin et al. 2018)
carbon_total_Mg_ha
- Total aboveground carbon stock (small + large individuals) in Mg C ha⁻¹
- Calculated as 45.6% of biomass_total_Mg_ha (Martin et al. 2018)
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FILE 2: Cardoso_et_al_2026_remote_sensing_data.csv
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Number of rows: 74 (one per plot)
Number of columns: 12
COLUMN DESCRIPTIONS:
plot_id
- Plot identification code
- Format: site abbreviation + plot number (e.g., APA_01)
responsible
- Surname of the researcher responsible for data collection
- Values: elias, vieira, berenguer
latitude
- Plot centroid latitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
longitude
Plot centroid longitude in decimal degrees (WGS84)
census_year
- Year in which the field inventory was conducted
forest_age_years
- Estimated number of years since land abandonment
carbon_small_Mg_ha
- Aboveground carbon stock of small individuals (DBH 2–9.9 cm) in Mg C ha⁻¹ (field-based estimate)
carbon_large_Mg_ha
- Aboveground carbon stock of large individuals (DBH ≥ 10 cm) in Mg C ha⁻¹ (field-based estimate)
carbon_total_Mg_ha
- Total aboveground carbon stock (small + large individuals) in Mg C ha⁻¹ (field-based estimate)
esa_acquisition_year
- Year of ESA CCI-AGB data acquisition used for comparison
- Range: 2010–2021
esa_biomass_Mg_ha
- ESA CCI-AGB aboveground biomass estimate in Mg ha⁻¹
- Extracted at plot centroid coordinates via Google Earth Engine
- Product version: ESA CCI-AGB v5.01 (Santoro & Cartus 2024)
- Spatial resolution: 100 m
esa_carbon_Mg_ha
- ESA CCI-AGB carbon estimate in Mg C ha⁻¹
- Calculated as 45.6% of esa_biomass_Mg_ha (Martin et al. 2018)
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METHODS SUMMARY
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Field data were collected between 2010 and 2023. In each plot, trees and palms were measured in two size classes: large individuals (DBH ≥ 10 cm) across the entire plot (10 × 250 m), and small individuals (DBH 2–9.9 cm) in five nested subplots (5 × 20 m each). Wood density was extracted from the Global Wood Density Database (Zanne et al. 2009). Tree height was estimated using a height-diameter model calibrated for secondary forests of Eastern Amazonia (Elias et al., unpublished). Satellite-derived biomass values were accessed via Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) using a point-based extraction at plot centroid coordinates. Plots were included in the remote sensing dataset when the field inventory year matched the ESA data acquisition year, or was within one year before or after.
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REFERENCES
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Chave J, Réjou-Méchain M, Búrquez A, et al. 2014. Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees. Global
Change Biology 20(10): 3177–3190. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12629
Goodman RC, Phillips OL, Baker TR. 2014. The importance of crown
dimensions to improve tropical tree biomass estimates. Ecological
Applications 24(4): 680–698. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0070.1
Goodman RC, Phillips OL, Torres DC, et al. 2013. Amazon palm biomass
and allometry. Forest Ecology and Management 310: 994–1004.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.09.045
Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. 2017. Google Earth Engine: planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of
Environment 202: 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Martin AR, Doraisami M, Thomas SC. 2018. Global patterns in wood carbon concentration across the world's trees and forests. Nature Geoscience
11: 915–920. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0246-x
Santoro M, Cartus O. 2024. ESA Biomass Climate Change Initiative: Global datasets of forest above-ground biomass for the years 2010–2021, v5.01.
NERC EDS Centre for Environmental Data Analysis.
https://dx.doi.org/10.5285/bf535053562141c6bb7ad831f5998d77
Zanne AE, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Coomes DA, et al. 2009. Data from: Towards
a worldwide wood economics spectrum. DRYAD.
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.234
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RELATED PUBLICATION
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Cardoso LAS, Elias F, Marques EQ, Gonçalves LA, Ferreira JN, Berenguer E,
Vieira ICG, Barlow J, Miranda IS, Tabarelli M, Nascimento RO, Aragão LEOC, Schwartz G, Silvério DV. 2026. The contribution of small trees to carbon stocks along a recovery gradient in the Amazonia. Ecosphere.
DOI: [to be added upon publication]
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LICENSE
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This dataset is released under a CC0 1.0 Universal (Public Domain
Dedication) license. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use
the data, even for commercial purposes, without asking permission.
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
Field data were collected between 2010 and 2023 across secondary forests in the Eastern Amazon. Forest age was estimated through a combination of landowner interviews (n = 69 plots) and analysis of historical Landsat satellite imagery (Landsat 5TM, 7TM+, and 8OLI). Wood density values were extracted from the Global Wood Density Database (Zanne et al. 2009). Tree height was estimated using a height-diameter model calibrated for secondary forests of Eastern Amazonia (Elias et al., unpublished). Satellite-derived biomass values were accessed via Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) using a point-based extraction approach at plot centroid coordinates. All statistical analyses were conducted in R version 4.4.1 using the packages 'segmented' (Muggeo 2008), 'stats' (R Core Team 2024), and 'ggplot2' (Wickham 2016).