DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2280gb626
title: Global planted forest data for timber species

description: Discerning whether certain timber species were harvested from natural
 forests versus less restricted planted forests can help ascertain the
 legality of wood products that enter the global market. However, readily
 available global planted forest data to the species level have been
 scarce. We confronted the need for such data by developing a two-pronged
 dataset, consisting of ‘polygon’ and ‘non-polygon’ location-based data,
 collectively, Planted Forest Timber Data. We obtained the polygon data
 from the World Resources Institute’s Spatial Database of Planted Trees
 v2.0, extracting data specific to traded timber species. We derived the
 non-polygon data from peer-reviewed literature and government documents.
 The polygon dataset encompasses 27 countries and 253 species and the
 non-polygon dataset spans 91 countries and 447 species. The polygon data
 are stored among 27 geopackages, one for each country. Each summarized row
 of polygon data contains up to 13 possible fields. The non-polygon data
 are housed within one main file, with each row of data including up to 28
 possible fields. Both datasets also include summaries of independent
 evidence for a species growing in the specified countries. We envision
 that the more these two living datasets grow, the more they will mutually
 benefit from one another for data cross-validation. This assembled
 information is meant to equip global leaders in forest governance, policy,
 enforcement, and research with vetted data for promoting legal timber
 trade and protecting biodiversity.
description: The Planted Forest Timber Data is composed of two types of
 information, polygon and non-polygon data, divided into two distinct
 living datasets. The polygon dataset includes visual delineations of the
 planted forest boundaries. These data are organized into GeoPackages with
 an accompanying summary table that links the collective data together. The
 planted forest plots in the non-polygon dataset do not have delineated
 boundaries, but still have species information at least at the country
 level. The polygon dataset is composed of a subset of the Spatial Database
 of Planted Trees v2.0, specifically the portion of data that pertained to
 tree species commonly associated with the timber trade. We used government
 Lacey Act data and the Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s
 Working List of Commercial Timber Species to identify and isolate the
 species that qualify as timber. We also calculated the area of each
 planted forest plot. We assembled the non-polygon dataset by querying
 scientific databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct) and
 library catalogs for primary and secondary literature, respectively, and
 performed internet searches for government reports and national databases.
 In addition to presence data and when available, we indicated in our
 non-polygon dataset the absence of planted forests for a given species,
 either within a specific country or worldwide.
description: # Global planted forest data for timber species Access the polygon dataset
 on Zenodo
 ([https://zenodo.org/records/14010483](https://zenodo.org/records/14010483)) Access the non-polygon dataset on Dryad ([https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2280gb626](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2280gb626)) Access the article associated with the polygon and non-polygon datasets on Nature ([https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04125-y](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04125-y)) The Planted Forest Timber Data (PFTD) consists of two living datasets, polygon and non-polygon. These data include planted forest plots for timber to the species level, with locations at least to the country level. Between the two datasets, the planted forests range from small experimental plots to large commercial operations. The polygon data includes visual delineations of the planted forest boundaries. The non-polygon data lack delineated boundaries but have species information at least at the country level. The data were obtained from governments, non-governmental organizations, and primary and secondary literature. The polygon dataset encompasses 27 countries and 253 species and the non-polygon dataset spans 91 countries and 447 species. ## Description of the data and file structure Polygon dataset comprises the following files: (1) 'PFTD_Pol.zip' is a folder containing the polygon data as 27 GeoPackages, one per country. (2) 'PFTD_PolSum.tsv' is an accompanying summary table of the polygon data. (3) 'PFTD_PolSumKey.tsv' is a key describing the terms in the polygon data (in 'PFTD_PolSum.tsv'). (4) 'PFTD_PolSumVal.tsv' is validation data indicating the presence (or absence) of independent support for a species to grow in the paired country, as specified in 'PFTD_PolSum.tsv'. (5) 'PFTD_PolSumValKey.tsv' is a key describing the terms in the validation data (in 'PFTD_PolSumVal.tsv'). Non-polygon dataset comprises the following files: (1) 'PFTD_NonPol.tsv' contains the non-polygon data. (2) 'PFTD_NonPolKey.tsv' is a key describing the terms in the non-polygon data (in 'PFTD_NonPol.tsv'). (3) 'PFTD_NonPolVal.tsv' is validation data indicating the presence (or absence) of independent support for a species to grow in the paired country, as specified in 'PFTD_NonPol.tsv'. (4) 'PFTD_NonPolValKey.tsv' is a key describing the terms in the validation data (in 'PFTD_NonPolVal.tsv'). Additional information: (1) Blank cells in the datasets indicate that a data entry would not be applicable. (2) NULL cells in the datasets indicate that a data entry could be applicable, but the information is not in the dataset. (3) The polygon dataset is in a GeoPackage format, which can be opened and visualized with Geographic Information Software (GIS), such as QGIS and ArcGIS. Other software environments, R and Python, for example, can access GeoPackage format as well. (4) In both the polygon and non-polygon datasets, we used the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 3166 alpha-2 country codes. The ISO online browsing platform provides the country codes and the corresponding country names. (5) Either the polygon or non-polygon dataset can stand alone, or the two datasets could complement one another for data cross-validation. (6) For mixed planted forests, which are in both the polygon and non-polygon datasets, the plot area is for the entire planted forest, including all species. Thus, the specific area for an individual species is not known. (7) As the polygon data were collected from various sources with differing methods, the resolutions also varied. (8) Lack of species information from a certain country does not indicate the absence of a species unless specifically noted. ## Sharing/Access information The polygon data were derived from the following source: Richter, J. et al. Spatial database of planted trees (SDPT VERSION 2.0) [https://doi.org/10.46830/writn.23.00073](https://doi.org/10.46830/writn.23.00073) (2024). For specific sources for the polygon and non-polygon data, see bibliographicCitation in 'PFTD_PolSum.tsv' and 'PFTD_NonPol.tsv', respectively. ## Code/Software Code is available (python version 3.11.9) on Zenodo ([https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13000336](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13000336)) for the resolution of taxonomic names (timBUSTER.py) and for the validation of species-country pairs (speciesCountryValidation.py) used to generate 'PFTD_PolSumVal.tsv' and 'PFTD_NonPolVal.tsv'. ## Change log **22-aug-2025:** 1) Data for Brazil was added to PFTD_NonPol.tsv and 2) Three non-timber species were removed from PFTD_PolSum.tsv and PFTD_Pol.zip in Guatemala (one species) and Mexico (two species).