Field-verified canopy tree crown segmentation for 7,536 crowns across 147.4 hectares of tropical forest plots in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, Panama in 2025.

This database contains 7,536 field-validated canopy tree crown segments for 147.4 hectares of mapped forest census plots in old-growth and old secondary forest in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument (BCNM), along with high-resolution (5 cm or finer) orthomosaics used for the segmentation and shape-files for the plots. The objective of this publication is to provide high-quality data for training and testing algorithms for automated crown segmentation. The dataset includes all tree crowns with a canopy area greater than 25 square meters in eight large, partially overlapping, forest census plots, one in the Gigante peninsula and the remainder on Barro Colorado Island (BCI). Initial crown segmentation was performed by the Plant Functional Ecology Laboratory (LEFO) at Université de Montréal and Mila. Crown segments were then evaluated and if necessary corrected in the field by people using iPads with the ArcGIS Field Maps app and a custom field form. The plots included are the Gigante Fertilization plot (38.4 ha), the BCI 50-ha plot, the BCI 25-ha plot, the BCI 10-ha plot, and the four 6-ha plots: AVA, Pearson, Drayton, and Zetek. The AVA plot overlaps the 10-ha and 25-ha plots, and the Drayton plot slightly overlaps the 50-ha plot. A subsequent publication will also include tree species identification, liana cover, and associated tree tag numbers for these crown segments.