These data consist of environmental covariates and estimated plot-level mortality of ponderosa pine trees. Environmental covariates include growing season temperature and soil moisture, and values are summarized into long-term mean conditions, and anomalies observed between forest inventory sampling events for each plot. Data also include plot locations (with uncertainty introduced by the US Forest Service to maintain private property rights), plot basal area, and several variables related to estimated mortality rate of ponderosa pine trees under various assumptions about basal area conditions.

These data were compiled to help understand how climate change may impact dryland pinyon-juniper ecosystems in coming decades, and how resource management might be able to minimize those impacts. Objective(s) of our study were to model the demographic rates of PJ woodlands to estimate the areas that may decline in the future vs. those that will be stable. We quantified populations growth rates across broad geographic areas, and identified the relative roles of recruitment and mortality in driving potential future changes in population viability in 5 tree species that are major components of these dry forests. We used this demographic model to project pinyon-juniper population stability under future climate conditions, assess how robust these projected changes are, and to identify where on the landscape management strategies that decrease tree competition would effectively resist population decline. These data represent estimated recruitment, mortality and population growth across the distribution of five common pinyon-juniper species across the US Southwest. These data were collected by the US Forest service in their monitoring program, which is a systematic survey of forested regions across the entire US. Our data is from western US states, including AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, ND, NV, OR, SD, TX, UT, and was collected between 2000-2007, depending on state census collection times. These data were collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the USDA US Forest Service. Within each established plot, all adult trees greater than 12.7 cm (5 in.) diameter at breast height (DBH) are assigned unique tags and tracked within four, 7.32 m (24 ft.) radius subplots. All saplings <12.7 cm & > 2.54 cm (1 in.) DBH are assigned unique tags and tracked within four, 2.07 m (6.8 ft.) radius microplots within the larger adult plots. Finally, seedlings <2.54 cm DBH are counted within the same microplots as the saplings. Two censuses were conducted 10 years apart in each plot. These data can be used to inform how tree species have unique responses to changing climate conditions and how management actions, like tree density reduction, may effectively resist transformation away from pinyon-juniper woodland to other ecosystem types.

These data were compiled to help understand how climate change may impact dryland pinyon-juniper ecosystems in coming decades, and how resource management might be able to minimize those impacts. Objective(s) of our study were to model the demographic rates of PJ woodlands to estimate the areas that may decline in the future vs. those that will be stable. We quantified populations growth rates across broad geographic areas, and identified the relative roles of recruitment and mortality in driving potential future changes in population viability in 5 tree species that are major components of these dry forests. We used this demographic model to project pinyon-juniper population stability under future climate conditions, assess how robust these projected changes are, and to identify where on the landscape management strategies that decrease tree competition would effectively resist population decline. These data represent estimated recruitment, mortality and population growth across the distribution of five common pinyon-juniper species across the US Southwest. These data were collected by the US Forest service in their monitoring program, which is a systematic survey of forested regions across the entire US. Our data is from western US states, including AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, ND, NV, OR, SD, TX, UT, and was collected between 2000-2007, depending on state census collection times. These data were collected by the Forest Inventory and Analysis program of the USDA US Forest Service. Within each established plot, all adult trees greater than 12.7 cm (5 in.) diameter at breast height (DBH) are assigned unique tags and tracked within four, 7.32 m (24 ft.) radius subplots. All saplings <12.7 cm & > 2.54 cm (1 in.) DBH are assigned unique tags and tracked within four, 2.07 m (6.8 ft.) radius microplots within the larger adult plots. Finally, seedlings <2.54 cm DBH are counted within the same microplots as the saplings. Two censuses were conducted 10 years apart in each plot. These data can be used to inform how tree species have unique responses to changing climate conditions and how management actions, like tree density reduction, may effectively resist transformation away from pinyon-juniper woodland to other ecosystem types.

These data were compiled for research pertaining to the effects of stand density on growth rates in semi-arid forests. Increasing heat and aridity in coming decades is expected to negatively impact tree growth and threaten forest sustainability in dry areas. Maintaining low stand density has the potential to mitigate the negative effects of increasingly severe droughts by minimizing competitive intensity. By inspecting growth rates and the climate and soil moisture conditions that drive these growth rates we can understand better the positive effects of reducing stand density and the specific dynamics that are beneficial to growth.

These data were compiled for research pertaining to the effects of stand density on growth rates in semi-arid forests. Increasing heat and aridity in coming decades is expected to negatively impact tree growth and threaten forest sustainability in dry areas. Maintaining low stand density has the potential to mitigate the negative effects of increasingly severe droughts by minimizing competitive intensity. By inspecting growth rates and the climate and soil moisture conditions that drive these growth rates we can understand better the positive effects of reducing stand density and the specific dynamics that are beneficial to growth.

These data consist of environmental covariates, measured plot-level and tree characteristics for seven coniferous tree species across the southwestern United States. The objectives of the study were to assess how growth characteristics of conifer tree species vary across environmental gradients and across the different tree species. These data represent conifer growth under a variety of stand and site characteristics. These data were collected in the summer of 2019, from sites across Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, and collected by field crews directed by Matt Petrie (University of Nevada Las Vegas), Rob Hubbard (USDA Forest Service), Tom Kolb (Northern Arizona University) and John Bradford (U.S. Geological Survey). We selected six locations to encompass a wide range of regional climate conditions. Within each location, we selected sites to capture diversity in local factors expected to influence regeneration including topography, adult tree density, vegetation characteristics, management action, and disturbance. To include more and less sheltered forest microsites in each plot, we located the center of each plot at the boundary between a moderately sized forest interspace and a higher density area, using a spherical densiometer to estimate the midpoint of this boundary for each site based on canopy cover. Interspace sizes differed for each forest site, such that in a dense forest stand a moderate interspace was smaller (∼ 10-100 m−2) than that of a thinned forest stand, where a moderate interspace was in some cases > 1.0 ha in area (10,000 m2). Sites were located on shallow slopes when possible (< 10◦). Recognizing the important influence of soil properties and soil parent material on regeneration, we selected sites with similar texture (sandy loams, loamy sands) at each study location to minimize edaphic influence between our regional study locations. We did not pre-evaluate regeneration in the field prior to setting plot boundaries. We note that some of our sites were located in different environments (differing canopy covers, understory vegetation and debris, adult tree densities, etc.) within the same forest management unit, and other sites were located in nearby managed and unmanaged forest stands. These data can be used to assess how environmental conditions and site characteristics may influence conifer tree regeneration.

These data consist of environmental covariates, measured plot-level and tree characteristics for seven coniferous tree species across the southwestern United States. The objectives of the study were to assess how growth characteristics of conifer tree species vary across environmental gradients and across the different tree species. These data represent conifer growth under a variety of stand and site characteristics. These data were collected in the summer of 2019, from sites across Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, and collected by field crews directed by Matt Petrie (University of Nevada Las Vegas), Rob Hubbard (USDA Forest Service), Tom Kolb (Northern Arizona University) and John Bradford (U.S. Geological Survey). We selected six locations to encompass a wide range of regional climate conditions. Within each location, we selected sites to capture diversity in local factors expected to influence regeneration including topography, adult tree density, vegetation characteristics, management action, and disturbance. To include more and less sheltered forest microsites in each plot, we located the center of each plot at the boundary between a moderately sized forest interspace and a higher density area, using a spherical densiometer to estimate the midpoint of this boundary for each site based on canopy cover. Interspace sizes differed for each forest site, such that in a dense forest stand a moderate interspace was smaller (∼ 10-100 m−2) than that of a thinned forest stand, where a moderate interspace was in some cases > 1.0 ha in area (10,000 m2). Sites were located on shallow slopes when possible (< 10◦). Recognizing the important influence of soil properties and soil parent material on regeneration, we selected sites with similar texture (sandy loams, loamy sands) at each study location to minimize edaphic influence between our regional study locations. We did not pre-evaluate regeneration in the field prior to setting plot boundaries. We note that some of our sites were located in different environments (differing canopy covers, understory vegetation and debris, adult tree densities, etc.) within the same forest management unit, and other sites were located in nearby managed and unmanaged forest stands. These data can be used to assess how environmental conditions and site characteristics may influence conifer tree regeneration.

These data describe tree mortality and the factors associated with tree mortality for a variety of plots in Sequoia National Park. Most of the data were collected between 2014 and 2017 (during an extremely severe drought), along with some comparison data from 2004 to 2007.

These data describe tree mortality and the factors associated with tree mortality for a variety of plots in Sequoia National Park. Most of the data were collected between 2014 and 2017 (during an extremely severe drought), along with some comparison data from 2004 to 2007.

This dataset provides annual estimates of tree mortality due to fires and bark beetles from 2003 to 2012 on forestland in the continental western United States. Tree mortality was estimated at 1-km spatial resolution by combining tree aboveground carbon (AGC) and disturbance datasets derived largely from remote sensing. Tree mortality is expressed as the amount of AGC stored in trees killed by disturbance (Mg carbon per km2). The dataset also includes annual uncertainty maps that were generated using a Monte Carlo approach in which tree biomass, biomass carbon content, and disturbance severity were iteratively varied by their uncertainty.