ATFS is a collaboration of 11 tropical forest research networks. Our goal is to rapidly advance tropical forest science and help build a new generation of scientists to achieve a more complete understanding of how tropical forests contribute to a healthy, functioning Earth.
ATFS networks include 11,656 plots in 56 countries: more than 50% of the world's tree species
Tropical forests are vital to the functioning of Earth, providing essential services to society by storing half of all terrestrial biomass and carbon, absorbing a quarter of human-caused carbon emissions, and helping to stabilize climate and water cycles. Global changes, including deforestation, forest degradation, and climatic and atmospheric changes, are greatly affecting tropical forests. How these changes will impact tropical forests in the future remains highly uncertain. This global alliance of tropical forest research networks has been designed to accelerate the research and training that are needed to improve understanding of how tropical forests function and to predict how they will respond to and influence future global changes.
ATFS includes 11 tropical forest research networks that manage 11,656 forest research plots in 56 countries that will coordinate through in-person workshops, virtual meetings, public webinars, and international fellowships and internships. By leveraging the vast and complementary knowledge and resources within the individual networks, ATFS will rapidly advance tropical forest science, develop data management and analysis tools, and help build a new generation of scientists with the global networking and interdisciplinary science skills required to achieve a more complete understanding of how tropical forests contribute to a healthy, functioning Earth.
ATFS is a National Science Foundation funded project "Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations" (AccelNet). Read the full abstract for ATFS here.
ATFS includes 11 tropical forest research networks that manage 11,656 forest research plots in 56 countries that will coordinate through in-person workshops, virtual meetings, public webinars, and international fellowships and internships. By leveraging the vast and complementary knowledge and resources within the individual networks, ATFS will rapidly advance tropical forest science, develop data management and analysis tools, and help build a new generation of scientists with the global networking and interdisciplinary science skills required to achieve a more complete understanding of how tropical forests contribute to a healthy, functioning Earth.
ATFS is a National Science Foundation funded project "Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations" (AccelNet). Read the full abstract for ATFS here.