ABC's tree census: the longest-running study on tropical tree growth

We are finishing up our quinquennial (every five years) tree census at our research reserve. A central part of the work of the Amazon Biodiversity Center -- one of our flagship studies -- is the collection of data on the effects of fragmentation on tropical rainforests. Since its inception in 1979, the forest fragments project has monitored 94 hectares (232 acres) of forest plots -- 69 one-hectare plots and one 25-hectare plot. Every five years, the project conducts a tree census, tagging, collecting data on, and cataloging every tree larger than 10 cm in diameter. The data is then compiled into a database -- the longest-running dataset of its kind -- to enable researchers to study the long-term effects of ecosystem fragmentation on individual trees and as collectives.