CTFS‐ForestGEO: a worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change
Authors: Anderson‐Teixeira Kristina J. , Davies Stuart J. , Bennett Amy C. , Gonzalez‐Akre Erika B. , Muller‐Landau Helene C. , Joseph Wright S. , Abu Salim Kamariah , Almeyda Zambrano Angélica M. , Alonso Alfonso , Baltzer Jennifer L. , Basset Yves , Bourg Norman A. , Broadbent Eben N. , Brockelman Warren Y. , Bunyavejchewin Sarayudh , Burslem David F. R. P. , Butt Nathalie , Cao Min , Cardenas Dairon , Chuyong George B. , Clay Keith , Cordell Susan , Dattaraja Handanakere S. , Deng Xiaobao , Detto Matteo , Du Xiaojun , Duque Alvaro , Erikson David L. , Ewango Corneille E.N. , Fischer Gunter A. , Fletcher Christine , Foster Robin B. , Giardina Christian P. , Gilbert Gregory S. , Gunatilleke Nimal , Gunatilleke Savitri , Hao Zhanqing , Hargrove William W. , Hart Terese B. , Hau Billy C.H. , He Fangliang , Hoffman Forrest M. , Howe Robert W. , Hubbell Stephen P. , Inman‐Narahari Faith M. , Jansen Patrick A. , Jiang Mingxi , Johnson Daniel J. , Kanzaki Mamoru , Kassim Abdul Rahman , Kenfack David , Kibet Staline , Kinnaird Margaret F. , Korte Lisa , Kral Kamil , Kumar Jitendra , Larson Andrew J. , Li Yide , Li Xiankun , Liu Shirong , Lum Shawn K.Y. , Lutz James A. , Ma Keping , Maddalena Damian M. , Makana Jean‐Remy , Malhi Yadvinder , Marthews Toby , Mat Serudin Rafizah , McMahon Sean M. , McShea William J. , Memiaghe Hervé R. , Mi Xiangcheng , Mizuno Takashi , Morecroft Michael , Myers Jonathan A. , Novotny Vojtech , de Oliveira Alexandre A. , Ong Perry S. , Orwig David A. , Ostertag Rebecca , den Ouden Jan , Parker Geoffrey G. , Phillips Richard P. , Sack Lawren , Sainge Moses N. , Sang Weiguo , Sri‐ngernyuang Kriangsak , Sukumar Raman , Sun I‐Fang , Sungpalee Witchaphart , Suresh Hebbalalu Sathyanarayana , Tan Sylvester , Thomas Sean C. , Thomas Duncan W. , Thompson Jill , Turner Benjamin L. , Uriarte Maria , Valencia Renato , Vallejo Marta I. , Vicentini Alberto , Vrška Tomáš , Wang Xihua , Wang Xugao , Weiblen George , Wolf Amy , Xu Han , Yap Sandra , Zimmerman Jess 
Published: September 2014

Global change is impacting forests worldwide, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services including climate regulation. Understanding how forests respond is critical to forest conservation and climate protection. This review describes an international network of 59 long‐term forest dynamics research sites (CTFS‐ForestGEO) useful for characterizing forest responses to global change. Within very large plots (median size 25 ha), all stems ≥1 cm diameter are identified to species, mapped, and regularly recensused according to standardized protocols. CTFS‐ForestGEO spans 25°S–61°N latitude, is generally representative of the range of bioclimatic, edaphic, and topographic conditions experienced by forests worldwide, and is the only forest monitoring network that applies a standardized protocol to each of the world's major forest biomes. Supplementary standardized measurements at subsets of the sites provide additional information on plants, animals, and ecosystem and environmental variables. CTFS‐ForestGEO sites are experiencing multifaceted anthropogenic global change pressures including warming (average 0.61 °C), changes in precipitation (up to ±30% change), atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur compounds (up to 3.8 g N m−2 yr−1 and 3.1 g S m−2 yr−1), and forest fragmentation in the surrounding landscape (up to 88% reduced tree cover within 5 km). The broad suite of measurements made at CTFS‐ForestGEO sites makes it possible to investigate the complex ways in which global change is impacting forest dynamics. Ongoing research across the CTFS‐ForestGEO network is yielding insights into how and why the forests are changing, and continued monitoring will provide vital contributions to understanding worldwide forest diversity and dynamics in an era of global change.