Supporting dataset for the article "The Anatomy of Survival - What Determines Seedling Fate After Planting in West Africa?

Description This dataset originates from the ForestInnov experiment, established in 2019 in the Téné Classified Forest, Côte d’Ivoire. It contains information on the survival of more than 21,000 tree seedlings one year after planting, along with associated management and environmental variables. The dataset is designed to support analyses of tropical reforestation dynamics, particularly the role of planting time, intercropping, and vegetation competition on early seedling survival. Study Area The experiment was conducted in the Téné Classified Forest (6°31'14’’N, 5°28'44’’W), a semi-deciduous forest in central Côte d’Ivoire. The region has a bimodal climate, with a long rainy season (March–June), a short dry season (July–August), a short rainy season (September–November), and a long dry season (December–March). Mean annual rainfall is less than 1,200 mm, and average daily temperatures are about 27 °C. Soils are predominantly ferralitic, with hydromorphic features in some places. The landscape is a mosaic of reforestation plots featuring species such as Tectona grandis, Gmelina arborea, and Cedrela odorata. These stands are managed with silvicultural practices aimed at maximizing growth and productivity. ForestInnov Experiment The ForestInnov experiment is part of the TreeDivNet global network. It was established on a 25-hectare site (altitude 202 m) on former Gmelina plantations within the Téné Classified Forest. The site was subdivided into 49 plots of 0.5 ha each. Between June and September 2019, 441 seedlings were planted in each plot (21 × 21 grid, spacing 3.5 m × 3.5 m, total area 70 m × 70 m). 16 native tree species were selected, based on plantation suitability, nursery production potential, and relevance for reforestation plans. The experimental design comprised 16 monocultures, 16 two-species mixtures, 8 four-species mixtures, 4 eight-species mixtures, and 3 sixteen-species mixtures. In 22 plots, banana (Musa sp.) was intercropped at the same spacing, providing additional shading. This dataset focuses on first-year seedling survival, assessed in April–May 2020. Data Collection In total, 21,609 seedlings were monitored for survival status one year after planting. Several plot-level and tree-level explanatory variables were also recorded to account for potential drivers of survival: Banana intercropping (presence/absence). Vegetation competition, quantified using randomly selected 3.5 m × 3.5 m subplots per plot: Cover: mean herbaceous ground cover, Cedrela: presence of Cedrela odorata, Panicum: presence of Panicum grasses. Planting delay, a normalized index capturing the relative timing of planting compared to the overall planting window. Data Dictionary The dataset is structured as a dataframe with the following variables: plot (int): Identifier of the plot where the seedling is located (1–49). x_quadrat (chr): X-coordinate of the quadrat within the plot grid (in meters, spacing 3.5 m). y_quadrat (chr): Y-coordinate of the quadrat within the plot grid (in meters, spacing 3.5 m). tree_ID (chr): Unique identifier of each seedling, composed of the plot number and individual position. Statut (int): Survival status of the seedling (1 = alive, 0 = dead). genus (chr): Genus of the planted tree (e.g., Nesogordonia, Mansonia). species (chr): Species epithet of the planted tree (e.g., papaverifera, altissima). planting_date (POSIXct): Actual planting date of the individual seedling. banana (num): Presence of banana intercropping (1 = present, 0 = absent). panicum (num): Proportion of sampled subplots in which Panicum species were present (0–1). cedrela (num): Proportion of sampled subplots in which Cedrela odorata was present (0–1). cover (num): Mean proportion of ground covered by herbaceous vegetation across sampled subplots (0–1). delay (num): Scaled planting date, normalized between 0 (earliest recorded planting date) and 1 (latest recorded planting date). Methodological Notes Survival monitoring: All seedlings were visually inspected for survival (alive/dead). Banana intercropping: Recorded at the plot level, as an indicator of shading effects. Vegetation competition: Assessed using 10 subplot surveys, then aggregated into plot-level indices (cover, cedrela, panicum).