Tree size and biomass measurements for 27 species in Mexican secondary tropical dry forests
Description
We present a dataset on tree size and aboveground biomass for 303 trees representing 27 tropical dry forest species harvested along a chronosequence of secondary forests on the coast of Jalisco, Mexico. These data were previously used by Bojórquez et al. (2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118384) to develop and validate allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass in secondary tropical dry forests. We believe this dataset provides valuable information for constructing allometric models that can be applied to similar forests at broader spatial scales, including regional, national, and pantropical contexts.
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Sampling methods, time frame and processing steps: Trees were felled during the dry season in the spring of 2012. Based on an extensive inventory of secondary forest plots across the study region, 9 to 14 individuals were carefully selected for harvesting based on their health condition and stem girth, ensuring that the full natural range of DBH was represented for each of the 27 woody species, contributing approximately 80% of the total basal area at the landscape level. Most trees were leafless at the time of harvesting. To capture variability across forest development stages, individuals of each species were sampled from different secondary forest stands spanning a successional gradient between 5 and 45 years. In the case of multi-stemmed trees, only one stem within the target DBH range was harvested and measured. Variables and units. DBH = diameter at breast height (cm), H = tree height (m) or, in multi-stemmed trees, height of the harvested stem of each individual tree from 27 woody species selected for destructive sampling to develop allometric regression models to estimate aboveground dry biomass (AGB) in secondary tropical dry forests. Species names were updated according to the Missouri Botanical Garden (www.tropicos.org, accessed October 18, 2025) and WFO Plant List snapshots of the taxonomy (www.wfopplantlist.org, accessed October 18, 2025). In parentheses, the latest species and family names published in Bojórquez et al. (2020) are shown. Note that the species DBH-range of the harvested trees is consistent with the natural variability documented in a comprehensive inventory of secondary forest plots
Institutions
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico Instituto de Ecologia
- Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico - Campus Morelia
- Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora Departamento de Ciencias del Agua y Medio Ambiente