A dataset of forest leaf area indexes in Xishuangbanna (2010–2020)

Abstract

Leaf area Index (LAI) is typically defined as the ratio of the total area of vegetation, including leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and other components to the corresponding land area. LAI is an indispensable component parameter in ecosystem carbon cycle, hydrological and climate models. It has been widely used in forest monitoring, vegetation evaluation and crop yield estimation. As an effective tool for assessing forest health, LAI can better reflect forest growth. It can not only affect forest carbon absorption, but also directly affect regional and even global climate by changing the ratio of sensible heat and latent heat flux. As a member of the China Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and the National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station Network (CRERN), Xishuangbanna Tropical Ecosystem Research Station (Banna Station) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) conducts monitoring strictly in accordance with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Biological Observation Indicators and Norms. The quality of the observation data is strictly controlled pursuant to the Quality Assurance and Quality Control of Terrestrial Ecosystem Biological Observation Data. In this dataset, we collected the data of leaf area index (LAI) of tree, shrub and grass layers of forest plant communities in five long-term monitoring plots of Banna Station from 20010 to 2020 to provide scientific foundation for the study of tropical forest ecosystem and carbon cycle.