Tree inventory data such as tree identity, position in the plot, height, architecture and biomass on Mt. Kilimanjaro

This dataset describes position and sizes of all trees above 10 cm diameter at breast height in all plots, also fruiting and flowering events and if it is a canopy tree or not in KiLi project. -999999 represents NA in numeric variables. 

Within each plot, all trees wider than 10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were marked with aluminium tags and their dbh and height were measured. The dbh was measured with a diameter tape (Forestry Suppliers, USA) at 1.3 m for normally shaped trees and 20 cm below or above when branches or irregular shapes impeded measurement at that height. The 1.3 m height was measured from the highest ground level around the stem to standardize measurements taken on slopes. For trees which were strongly buttressed or too big to measure by hand, a laser dendrometer (Criterion RD 1000 with TruPulse 200/200, Centennial, USA) was used to measure the tree above the buttresses and at 1.3 m. Lianas above 10 cm in diameter were also marked and their dbh was measured. Tree height was measured using an ultra-sonic hypsometer (Vertex IV Hypsometer, Haglöf, Langsele, Sweden) or a laser rangefinder (TruPulse 200/200). The tree inventories were carried out between December 2010 and March 2013.

The KiLi project (2010-2018) is a German Science Foundation (DFG) funded research unit (DFG research unit FOR1246) that focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem processes along altitudinal and disturbance gradients on Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, Africa), capitalizing on its world-wide unique range of climatic and vegetation zones. The research unit comprises 2 central projects and 7 subprojects from various disciplines. On a total of 60 study sites in both natural and human-disturbed ecosystems biodiversity (e.g. plants, soil arthropods, ants, bees, frogs, lizards, bats, birds), related ecosystem processes (decomposition, seed dispersal, pollination, herbivory, predation), and biogeochemical processes and properties of ecosystems (climate, soil properties and nutrient status, regulation of water and carbon fluxes, trace gas emissions, primary productivity, functional diversity) are analyzed.