The 2014 NSF-funded CTFS-ForestGEO Workshop was held last month at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) in Yannan Provine in China . It was the fourth of five annual research workshops over the period 2011 to 2015 focused on "Diversity and Forest Change: Characterizing functional, phylogenetic and genetic contributions to diversity gradients and dynamics in tree communities". The program is co-supported by the Dimensions of Biodiversity Program of the US National Science Foundation (DEB-1046113) and the National Science Foundation of China.
Over 55 scientists from 20 countries worked in small groups to address specific research topics. The focus was on both individual plot analyses and cross-plot comparisons, and included studies of forest carbon dynamics, spatial patterns in species diversity, and forest growth and mortality. The workshop culminated in the presentation of over 40 different research projects on the final day of the workshop. Manuscripts derived from the work are now being prepared.
The gathering of many partners from across the CTFS-ForestGEO network also provided an important opportunity to advance current and future collaborations on the science of the world’s forests. While in China, scientists also enjoyed a tour of the Xishuangbanna Plot and a canopy hike in Greestone Forest.