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A Global Program for Long-Term Large-Scale Forest Research The Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) is a global network of forest research plots committed to studying the ecosystem functions and diversity of tropical and temperate forests. The multi-institutional network comprises 33 forest research plots across the Americas, Africa, and Asia, with a strong focus on tropical regions. CTFS monitors the growth and survival of some 3 million trees representing over 6,500 species. CTFS conducts long-term large-scale research on forests around the world to • Increase scientific understanding of forest ecosystems, Ecologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute established the first plot on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, in 1980. There, they pioneered long-term tree-census techniques that scientists replicated throughout the tropics, creating a network of forest research plots that would eventually become the Center for Tropical Forest Science. Before 1980, scientists had never attempted to measure tropical forests so intensively and at such a large scale. Today, the scale and intensity of the CTFS research program remain unprecedented in forest science.
CTFS plots involve hundreds of scientists from more than 40 institutions worldwide. Individual forest plots are led and managed in each country by one or more partner institutions. CTFS coordinates plots in Asia through partnerships with host-country institutions and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Common plot structure and scientific methodology unify the CTFS network. In each plot, which are typically 25 to 50 hectares, all free-standing trees with a diameter at breast height of at least 1 cm are tagged, measured, identified to species, and recensued approximately every five years. Because each plot follows the same methodology, scientists can directly compare data collected from different forests around the world and detect patterns that would otherwise be impossible to recognize. |
