The “Herbier IRD de Guyane” (CAY) was established in 1965 by R.A.A. Oldeman and harbors nearly 200000 specimens, mostly from French Guiana and nearby countries Suriname, Guyana, Brazil (particularly the state of Amapá), and Venezuela (state of Amazonas). The dataset presented here is the fruit of 30-years’ work by CAY’s staff as well as that of numerous other botanists who have helped make CAY a key scientific platform and leading center of botanical research for the Guiana Shield.

The image is available for free on the USGS Glovis website.

Guyadiv is a network of forest inventory plots installed in French Guiana. In Paracou experimental station 2 sets of plots pertain to the Guyadiv network Transects (> 2cm dbh) Ten 20x250m-transects have been inventoried within ten larger experimental plots. In those plots all stems > 2cm dbh have been censused (mapped and identified to species level). Plots were measured twice (once between 1994-1998, and once in 2002) 3 transects in plots subjected to treatment 1 (commercial logging only, of trees of DBH>50cm between 1986 and 1988, on average 10 stems per ha) 3 transects in plots subjected to treatment 2 (commercial logging as treatment 1 + thinning by poison-girdling of all non-commercial species of DBH≥40cm between 1986 and 1988) 3 transects in control plots (without treatments) 1 transect in plots subjected to treatment 3 (commercial logging + logging for fuelwood of all non-commercial treed of DBH between 40 and 50 cm + thinning of trees of more than 50cm DBH between 1986 and 1988) In addition 10 0.5 ha plots within the Guyaflux foot print have been set-up in which all trees > 10cm dbh have been inventoried.

The Paracou Research Station encompasses 5000 ha of tropical rain forest near Sinnamary, French Guiana, and is accessible by paved road. The site includes several types of forest plots, each with unique research objectives. Logging Plots: Fifteen nine-hectare plots (numberred 1 to 15) were established in 1984 to study the impact of different logging treatments on tropical tree population structure. This zone is reserved exclusively for studies investigating the impact of the different logging treatments on forest populations. Primary Forest Plot: A 25 hectare plot (no. 16) was established in 1991 for studies of undisturbed forest. Researchers whose interests are unrelated to the effects of logging treatments are encouraged to conduct their work in this plot. Clearcut Plot: a 6.25 ha plot (no. 17) was established in 1989 at a nearby reserve along the road to St. Elie to study the effects of clearcutting on tropical forest dynamics

Guyafor is a network of permanent forest plots installed in French Guiana. The site of Paracou covers a 130,5ha area. It is composed of 16 plots, managed by CIRAD. 114373 trees are being followed since 1984. 30 campaignes of inventories have been made : every year since 1984.