Luquillo Experimental Forest canopy trimming experiment data

This data publication contains average daily means for field and satellite data from 3 treated and 3 control plots from the Canopy Trimming Experiment (CTE) located near El Verde Field Station (419 meters; 18°20’ N, 65°49’ W) in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (El Yunque National Forest), Puerto Rico collected from 2003 through 2019. In spring of 2005 (CTE1) and December of 2014 (CTE2), in 0.09 hectare (ha) square plots near the El Verde Field Station the forest canopy was trimmed and the canopy debris was littered to the forest floor. The plot size and trim amounts were based on the patch disturbance after the two most recent hurricanes before 2017, both category 3 hurricanes at the location of El Verde: Hugo in September 1989, and Georges in September 1998 (Zimmerman et al. 2014). Details of the trimming and littering treatment, as well as the biotic response to the 2005 experiment have been extensively documented (Richardson et al. 2010; Shiels et al. 2014, 2015; Shiels and González 2014). The data were collected in the inner 0.04 ha quadrants of the 0.09 ha trimmed plots to minimize edge effects. There were 3 sets of control and treated plots, with each set near El Verde field station. Field data include: solar radiation, throughfall, air temperature, soil temperature, relative humidity shallow soil, volumetric water content, soil profile volumetric water content, canopy leaf saturation, litter leaf saturation, and above canopy air temperature. Satellite data include: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index converted into solar radiation, MODIS land surface temperature, and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) soil volumetric water content.
The Canopy Trimming Experiment in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, is designed to study the key mechanisms behind such a forest’s response after a major hurricane, and guide how repeated hurricanes might be expected to alter such ecosystems using these key mechanisms.
These data were published on 12/12/2019. Minor metadata updates made on 06/23/2023.