Ecological and phenotypic trait dataset for 12 European forest tree species from H2020 project GenTree

GenTree is a European Union project financed under the Horizon 2020 framework (2016-2020). The goal of GenTree was to improve the status and use of European in-situ and ex-situ forest genetic resource (FGR) collections, support acquisition, conservation, characterization, evaluation and use of relevant FGR in breeding and forestry practice and policy, will seek to harmonize, rationalize and improve management of existing collections and databases, and will strengthen the EU strategy for cooperation on FGR research and innovation. The major outputs of GenTree included: new scientific knowledge on phenotypic and genotypic diversity across environmental gradients in Europe, improved genotyping and phenotyping monitoring tools for practitioners, updated and refined data for information systems of in-situ and ex-situ FGR collections, innovative strategies for conservation, breeding and exchanging and using diversified forest reproductive material, novel outreach and science-policy support tools to better integrate FGR concerns into forest management and better implement relevant international commitments in Europe. Here, we report individual and plot level phenotypic trait measurements, tree ring growth and density measurements, ecological and climate data from over 4700 trees from 12 species and 210 sites sampled across Europe. Traits measured and associated metadata are useful for research on local adaptation and response to global change, and for research and development with both a conservation and a breeding perspective.