Ten-years dataset of poplar inventory in northern Italy

The data refer to several poplar plantations located in the plains of northern Italy. The information was collected during the vegetative rest of each year from 1987 to 1996. Dendrometric data were recorded, such as the diameter at breast height, the diameter at five meters height and the planting density, as well as damage caused by biotic and abiotic adversities using a three-level intensity scale. All data is raw, with only total volume and the volume of the first log (up to 5 meters height) calculated using dendrometric equations based on tree diameter and height. The availability of a continuous inventory with annual measurements for 10 years on the same trees in the permanent sample plots has allowed the creation of a particularly important database for the study of growth models and the influence of biotic and abiotic adversities on wood production. This dataset could be used to perform further investigations, such as CO2 sequestration, to assess the environmental sustainability of the poplar plantations. Furthermore, thanks to this database, it is possible to identify which areas of the northern Italian plains are more suitable for poplar cultivation based on wood biomass production, or to evaluate the impact of pests and diseases with respect to clone and land characteristics

Dataset of tree inventory and canopy structure in poplar plantations in Northern Italy

The dataset reports data collected in 38 square (50 x 50m) 0.25 ha plots representative of poplar plantations in Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), which were used to calibrate optical information derived from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite (Sentinel-2) sensors.In each plot, the diameter at breast height was measured using a caliper; height, stem and crown volume of each tree were then derived from diameter using allometric equations developed in an independent study. Additional canopy attributes (foliage and crown cover, crown porosity, leaf area index) were derived in each plot from 12-20 optical images collected using digital cover photography (DCP).The collected data allows characterizing the assessment of structure of these plantations, along with their variation over the rotation time. Canopy and crown data also enable the evaluation of optimal rotation and tree spacing, as well as the relationship between stand and canopy structure.The raw datasets consist of 2,591 records (trees) associated with inventory measurements and 616 records (images) associated with optical canopy measurements. An R code was also provided to calculate plot-level attributes from raw data.Dataset and associated metadata are freely available at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/ycr7w5pvkt.1