Brief description
This data contains stem diameter, height measurement and above ground living biomass calculations for an Australian tropical rainforest derived from a comprehensive ground survey of a large area from 2009 - present. Diameter and height measurements for stems ≥10cm diameter at breast height were sampled within 25 x 1 ha plots within the Robson Creek Rainforest site. Repeated measurements of individual trees have been conducted in the core hectare plot in 2010, 2015, 2019 and 2023. This dataset is version 2.0, and supersedes any previous versions. This version contains updated allometric calculations to derive above ground standing plant biomass and stand biomass in Mg/ha.Lineage
Site information:25 x 1 ha plots were established at the Robson Creek SuperSite in 2009. The vegetation in this plot is classified as complex mesophyll vine forest on granite and meta-sediment alluvium. Soil is classified as acidic, dystrophic, brown dermosol; medium, non-gravelly, clayey moderate.
Plot layout:
All 1-ha plots were divided into 25 subplots (20 m x 20 m ). Subplot numbering started in the south-west corner of each hectare and the order of subplot within each hectare is west to east, then east to west etc. Subplot numbering is continuous across the 25 ha plot, ending at 625 in the north-east corner of the 25 ha. Tree numbering is sequential within each hectare.
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. Each subplot is temporarily divided into 10 x 10 m quadrats to assist in mapping. 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. The heights of all other stems are estimated by comparing to the measured stems. Stems ≥10 to ≤30 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) are marked with a tag attached to a wire encircling the stem. A line completely encircling the stem is painted at the point of measurement (POM). Repeated diameter and height measurements are conducted on all individual trees in the core hectare plot in 2010, 2015 and 2019. Height measurements were not taken in 2023, with height values from 2019 being used in biomass calculations
Biomass calculations:
Above-ground standing biomass was calculated for each stem >10 cm diameter at breast height using the allometric equation from Chave et al 2014 using the BIOMASS Package in R. Wood density values were were taken from a database of species of northern Australia (CSIRO unpublished). See Data Quality Assessment for summary on biomass calculation.
Notes
CreditWe 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.
Data Quality Assessment Scope
local :
dataset
Biomass values were generated using a combined approach to ensure consistency across census years:<br></br>
1) Mixed‑effects model predictions<br></br>
Predicted heights were used to estimate biomass for stems missing height measurements but with available diameter and wood density data.
2) Equivalent Stem Diameter (ESD) method<br></br>
For stems with complete measurements (height, diameter, wood density), biomass was calculated using the ESD method based on the square‑root formula.
3) Environmental Stress method (BIOMASS package)<br></br>
For plants with no height measurements in any census year, the model could not generate predictions. Biomass for these individuals was derived using the Environmental Stress parameter from the BIOMASS R package, based on site coordinates.
<br></br>
This combined workflow was applied to the census data for a better reliability of biomass estimates, including for the 2015 census.
Detailed information on the calculation is provided in the Additional Information Section.
Workflow and R Scripts can be found on the <a href="https://bitbucket.org/terndatateam/tern-ep-biomass/src/main/Robson_Creek/">tern-ep-biomass</a> repository on bitbucket.
Singh Ramesh, A., Sanchez-Gonsalvez, J., & Guru, S. M. (2026). Robson Creek, stem height modelling and above-ground standing biomass derivation workflow summary (Version 1.0, Draft). Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)
uri :
https://bitbucket.org/terndatateam/tern-ep-biomass/src/main/Robson_Creek/?at=main
Data Quality Assessment Result
local :
Quality Result
All potential outliers were assessed by researchers who collected the data and data curators. Any value that was considered to be an outlier was removed from the final dataset.
Created: 2023-10-24
Issued: 2022-06-30
Modified: 2026-04-17
Data time period: 2009-01-01
text: The Robson Creek 25-ha rainforest site is located in the Danbulla National Park within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland.
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Point-of-truth metadata URL
Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees
- URI : geonetwork.tern.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/5a864ec1-f780-4104-a242-7ff00e1f4962
- global : 5a864ec1-f780-4104-a242-7ff00e1f4962
