A dataset of forest regrowth in globally key deforestation regions

Abstract

Deforestation-induced forest loss largely affects both the carbon budget and ecosystem services. Subsequent forest regrowth plays a crucial role in ecosystem restoration and carbon replenishment. However, there is an absence of comprehensive datasets explicitly delineating the forest regrowth following deforestation. Here we employed multiple remotely sensed datasets to generate the first dataset capturing forest structural regrowth, including forest height, aboveground biomass (AGB), leaf area index (LAI), and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR), subsequent to deforestation in globally key deforestation regions at a 30 m spatial resolution. The regrowth index for each structural parameter includes regrowth ratios and rates at 5-year intervals spanning primarily from 1985 to 2020. This dataset provides a nuanced understanding of forest regrowth following deforestation across spatial, temporal, and structural scales, thereby facilitating accurate quantification of forest carbon budget and enhancing assessments of forest ecological services.