DOI: 10.5061/dryad.bzkh189fv
title: Selecting exceptional tropical tree species to increase long-term carbon storage

description: With rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, strategies for greater carbon
 sequestration and long-term storage are urgently needed. Current
 reforestation schemes typically use fast-growing tree species with low
 wood density, limiting the amount of carbon stored. In most tropical
 forests, there are native species with relatively fast growth rates, high
 wood density, and low mortality rates that also achieve large adult size —
 ‘exceptional species.’ We present a simulated assessment of the carbon
 sequestration potential using these exceptional species selected based on
 a given set of criteria in assisted secondary succession in the
 Neotropics. In our example, our selected exceptional species could
 add up to 16.2 Mg C/ha of sequestered carbon in secondary wet
 forests at maturity. Synthesis and applications. By increasing the
 representation of exceptional species in reforestation efforts, we could
 potentially boost long-term carbon storage in reforestation projects
 focused on carbon sequestration. However, our approach is not a substitute
 for protecting existing old primary forests and reforested lands plus
 reducing deforestation and emissions.
description: # Selecting exceptional tropical tree species to increase long-term carbon
 storage ### Journal name: Journal of Applied Ecology ### Corresponding
 Author Name: Anna Sugiyama Email address: a.sugiyama@landlifecompany.com
 Affiliation when the work was conducted: Yale University Present
 affiliation: Land Life Company **Abstract**: Two data files associated
 with the article "Planting exceptional tropical tree species to
 increase long-term carbon storage in assisted secondary succession"
 by Anna Sugiyama, Edward T. Game, S. Joseph Wright published in Journal of
 Applied Ecology (2023). ### Dataset S1: Leaf mass and diameter at breast
 height (dbh) data in the Biomass And Allometry Database by Falster et al.
 (2015) used to calculate the leaf mass of one planted tree. Number of
 variables: 10 Empty cells: cells were left empty when data were not
 available Variables: * species: standardized species name (genus species)
 as of April 12, 2021; data type: string; units: NA * latitude: latitude of
 location where sampled (-90 to 90 deg South to North); data type: numeric;
 units: deg * longitude: longitude of location where sampled (-180 to 180
 West to East); data type: numeric, units: deg * vegetation: vegetation
 type where sampled if grown under the wild condition (left blank for
 plantations, glasshouse, or common garden): Sav = Savannah; TropRF =
 Tropical rainforest; TempRF = Temperate rainforest; TropSF = Tropical
 seasonal forest; TempF = Temperate forest; BorF = Boreal forest; Wo =
 Woodland; Gr = Grassland; Sh = Shrubland; De = Desert; data type: string;
 units: NA * m.lf: leaf mass; data type: numeric; units: kg * a.lf: leaf
 area of whole plant; data type: numeric; units: m2 * d.bh: dbh of the
 stem; data type: numeric; units: m * pft: plant functional type: EA =
 evergreen angiosperm; DA = deciduous angiosperm; EG = evergreen
 gymnosperm; DG = deciduous gymnosperm * status: position in forest canopy
 (wild grown plants only): 0 = suppressed; 1 = intermediate; 2 = codominant
 (crown partly exposed); 3 = dominant (crown fully exposed); data type:
 string; units: NA * h.t: total height of plant from ground to the highest
 leaf; data type: numeric; units: m ### Dataset S2: Unpublished tree data
 by the authors that were not available elsewhere at the time of
 publication Number of variables: 10 Empty cells: cells were left empty
 when data were not available Variables: * Species: standardized species
 name (genus species) as of April 12, 2021; data type: string; units: NA *
 Family: family of the species; data type: string; units: NA * Latitude:
 latitude of location where sampled (-90 to 90 deg South to North); data
 type: numeric; units: deg * Longitude: longitude of location where sampled
 (-180 to 180 West to East); data type: numeric, units: deg * Region:
 geographic region based on the available data: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin
 America, North America, Oceania, any combinations of them, or Unknown;
 data type: string; units: NA * Tropics: indicates whether the species was
 recorded in the tropics in at least one data source: Yes, No, or Unknown;
 data type: string; units: NA * DBH: dbh of the tree; data type: numeric;
 units: cm * Height: height of the tree; data type: numeric; units: m *
 Wood density: wood density of the tree; data type: numeric; units: g/cm3 *
 Data Source: abbreviated data sources for the species; data type: string;
 units: NA