Part of ATFS’s mission is to encourage collaboration and strengthen capacity between the 11 allied tropical forest research networks. One way this is accomplished is through Working Groups which consist of ATFS network members and target critical goals of expanding tropical forest understanding. There are currently 4 active Working Groups. Introductions to each can be found below.
The Mortality Working Group (ATFS-MWG) focuses on tropical tree mortality, a key process regulating the diversity, structure, and function of forests globally. Individual networks have made significant progress in addressing spatial and temporal patterns of tropical tree mortality, yet a pantropical description and understanding of the multiscale spatial and temporal patterns of tropical tree mortality, as well as the key drivers regulating these patterns remain to be achieved. The overall goals of the group are to (1) support network-specific analysis and (2) advance science on tree mortality through multinetwork collaboration.
The ATFS-MWG was established in summer 2022, during a 5-day in person meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, that involved 22 participants from eight tropical forest plot networks. The group currently has 89 members from 13 forest monitoring plot networks and has hold two in-person meetings, seven all-hands virtual meetings and several smaller meetings focused on different sub-working groups.
The group has defined a set of priority questions necessary to advance science in tropical tree mortality. Since its inception, the ATFS-MWG has focused on supporting multiple network-specific projects (in managed forests, African woodlands, dry forests, etc.) through the discussion of results, presentations, fellowships, and assistance with data analysis. Over the last year, the group has also focused on the first multi-network analysis of spatial patterns of mortality across the world’s tropical forests. This analysis aims to integrate observations on ground-based tree mortality from old-growth, secondary, and managed tropical forests along water availability, temperature (elevation, latitude), and disturbance gradients, to spatially identify broad-scale controls of baseline tree mortality in the tropics. As of December 2023, the group has successfully harmonized data analysis across ~1,200 sites. Next steps include the data analysis and writing of the multi-network study.
Scientific direction and projects within the ATFS-MWG are aimed to be co-designed and co-developed in full with local partners. People contributing to this effort are invited to be co-authors and to participate actively in each stage of the discussions. Interested people are welcome to join the regular meetings to discuss the scientific direction, analytical approach, etc., or any of the working groups focused on specific tasks.
If you or someone in your network are interested in joining the ATFS Mortality Working Group, please write to Daniel Zuleta.
The ATFS-MWG was established in summer 2022, during a 5-day in person meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, that involved 22 participants from eight tropical forest plot networks. The group currently has 89 members from 13 forest monitoring plot networks and has hold two in-person meetings, seven all-hands virtual meetings and several smaller meetings focused on different sub-working groups.
The group has defined a set of priority questions necessary to advance science in tropical tree mortality. Since its inception, the ATFS-MWG has focused on supporting multiple network-specific projects (in managed forests, African woodlands, dry forests, etc.) through the discussion of results, presentations, fellowships, and assistance with data analysis. Over the last year, the group has also focused on the first multi-network analysis of spatial patterns of mortality across the world’s tropical forests. This analysis aims to integrate observations on ground-based tree mortality from old-growth, secondary, and managed tropical forests along water availability, temperature (elevation, latitude), and disturbance gradients, to spatially identify broad-scale controls of baseline tree mortality in the tropics. As of December 2023, the group has successfully harmonized data analysis across ~1,200 sites. Next steps include the data analysis and writing of the multi-network study.
Scientific direction and projects within the ATFS-MWG are aimed to be co-designed and co-developed in full with local partners. People contributing to this effort are invited to be co-authors and to participate actively in each stage of the discussions. Interested people are welcome to join the regular meetings to discuss the scientific direction, analytical approach, etc., or any of the working groups focused on specific tasks.
If you or someone in your network are interested in joining the ATFS Mortality Working Group, please write to Daniel Zuleta.
The Data Federation App Working Group (ATFS-DFWG) was established in 2020 to create a tool for data federation that does not require data centralization. The app aims to accelerate and promote inter-network collaborations. The app will 1) describe the format of a given forest plot dataset, 2) upload a dataset, its current format, and its desired format and then 3) “translate” one format into the other. Data federation that could take weeks or months, should take minutes, hours, or days with this app.
The app is still being developed and requires real-world tests. If you or someone in your network is interested in testing out the app, please reach out to Gabriel Arellano or Valentine Herrmann via email.
The app is still being developed and requires real-world tests. If you or someone in your network is interested in testing out the app, please reach out to Gabriel Arellano or Valentine Herrmann via email.
The Taxonomy & Diversity Working Group (ATFS-TDWG) is in the preliminary stages of development. In general, the TDWG is looking for opportunities of improvement in the taxonomy field, as taxonomists are becoming rarer which causes a potential domino effect of lack of knowledge in species diversity. There have been multiple brainstorming sessions in which goals and ideas have been delineated. The members have decided that to meet their goals most effectively, there should be multiple sub-groups which focus on more specific outcomes.
The brainstormed focused topics/goals are:
The brainstormed focused topics/goals are:
- extinction of taxonomists,
- quantification of taxonomic uncertainty and consequences,
- image hub/virtual herbarium & applications of ML or AI,
- dominance as a result of internal specialization/speciation,
- permits for collecting and moving samples internationally, and
- access to canopy.
The ATFS Drones Working Group (ATFS-DWG) will build a community of practice for tropical forest researchers currently working with drone/uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)/remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) data, or planning to work with drone/UAV/RPA data in the future. The short-term objective of this working group is to share experience and knowledge relating to collection and analysis of drone-acquired data for investigation of tropical forest structure, dynamics, composition, and/or function. Longer term, we hope to facilitate multi-site collaborative studies that investigate similarities and differences across sites, and establish standardized methods for drone data collection.
The ATFS-DWG is currently collecting contact information for interested researchers. We are planning initial meetings for February 2024 to introduce participants and receive feedback about the group’s goals. If you would like to attend and/or receive future communications, please fill out this form.
Please contact KC Cushman or Helene Muller-Landau with further questions or feedback.
The ATFS-DWG is currently collecting contact information for interested researchers. We are planning initial meetings for February 2024 to introduce participants and receive feedback about the group’s goals. If you would like to attend and/or receive future communications, please fill out this form.
Please contact KC Cushman or Helene Muller-Landau with further questions or feedback.