Compilation of foliar chemistry data for the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada

The foliar chemistry component of the Northeastern Ecosystem Research Cooperative (NERC) regional database was assembled from six prior NERC synthesis projects designed either to compile foliar chemistry data or to ask specific research questions about regional environmental trends in forested ecosystems. These individual NERC synthesis projects compiled foliar chemistry data from independent studies across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The combined foliar, soil, and surface water chemistry data in the full NERC regional database thus provide an opportunity to analyze environmental trends across ecosystem compartments at a regional scale. Foliar chemistry data in the database principally represent dominant or frequent tree species of forested ecosystems in the region. The data set also includes limited data for herbaceous species typical of these systems. A large proportion of the data derives from the Foliar Chemistry Database (http://foliar.sr.unh.edu/), which is an ongoing, online repository of foliar chemistry data for the northeastern United States. Many investigators have contributed to the foliar chemistry data compiled in the NERC regional database, both through the Foliar Chemistry Database and via other NERC synthesis projects.