Ecosystem structure data sets of an open canopy black spruce forest in Interior Alaska for ecosystem modeling

Recent warming trends in the Arctic and boreal regions overwhelm the global average and this trend is likely to continue in the future. The detailed and well-described forest ecosystem structures including understory plant communities are necessary to test and evaluate the current ecosystem models. In this data paper, we presented a synthesis data set of the above-ground forest structural characteristics. Field campaigns were conducted from 2010 to 2018 in the Poker Flat Research Range of the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks located outskirts of the city of Fairbanks, AK, USA. The forest is a sparse evergreen needle-leaf forest (see section 2). The field campaigns include (1) tree census surveys in the years 2010 and 2014, (2) direct measurement of tree above-ground biomass profile in the year 2012, (3) tree leaf area index (LAI) measurements by the non-destructive method in the year 2018, and (4) biomass and LAI survey of forest floor vegetation by the direct sampling method in the year 2018. The ecosystem structure data sets described in this paper are useful for the development, improvement, and validation of the ecosystem and land surface models. The data are also useful to understand the relationship between greenhouse gas fluxes and the ecosystem structure and functioning.