SAFARI 2000 Vegetation Structure of Kataba Forest, Zambia, Wet Season 2000

Tree basal area, percent tree canopy cover, and proportional contribution of main species to canopy cover were measured at 60 sampling points at 50 m intervals along six transects in the vicinity of the MODIS validation site tower in Kataba Forest, near Mongu, Zambia, in late February to early March 2000 as part of the SAFARI 2000 Wet Season Campaign. The aim of the study was to provide a broad description of the tree canopy layer around the tower.Tree and shrub species composition was recorded for each grid and measurements of canopy cover (% and rank) and frequency of occurrence (%) were made. Basal area was estimated at each grid site in a single 360 degree sweep using a basal area prism. Four estimates of canopy cover, oriented north, south, east, and west around the sample point, were taken at each grid site using a spherical densiometer and the data were averaged to give a single value for each grid. Only the canopies of trees and shrubs above 1.5 m height were measured.The data are stored in an ASCII file, in csv format. The file lists all tree and shrub species recorded and provides the proportional contribution of these species to canopy cover in each grid. Total tree basal area (m2 ha-1) and overall tree canopy cover (%) in each grid is also provided. The companion file provides additional vegetation data, graphics, long-term meteorological data, a discussion of the study results, and photographs of the study site.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Maintainer Earthdata Forum
Last Updated June 3, 2026, 01:28 (UTC)
Created April 1, 2025, 18:41 (UTC)
accessLevel public
bureauCode {026:00}
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harvest_object_id 394ebed6-f37b-45e6-ba99-fbcd805be4b6
harvest_source_id b99e41c6-fe79-4c19-bbc3-9b6c8111bfac
harvest_source_title Science Discovery Engine
identifier 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/795
license https://www.usa.gov/government-works
modified 2026-06-01T22:16:02Z
programCode {026:000}
publisher ORNL_DAAC
resource-type Dataset
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source_hash 7d04f97a8dc5fa6ff8b2344df29d99aec132bfcf5f62d0a813425fa5d65f0755
source_schema_version 1.1
spatial ["CARTESIAN", [{"WestBoundingCoordinate": 23.2533, "NorthBoundingCoordinate": -15.4383, "EastBoundingCoordinate": 23.2533, "SouthBoundingCoordinate": -15.4383}]]
temporal 2000-02-15/2000-03-15
theme {"Earth Science"}