Initial tree census for the Paint Rock Forest Dynamics Plot, Alabama, USA

We present the initial woody stem census for the 20-ha Paint Rock Forest Dynamics Plot in 2019-2021 in north Alabama, USA. Our objectives were to improve our understanding of the ecology of the forest ecosystem, provide hands-on research experience to undergraduate students, create opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines, and monitor the dynamics of the forest. From its origin at the south corner (latitude: 34.769521°, longitude: -86.306079°), our plot is a rectangle of 400 m × 500 m, having its long side at 313° azimuth. The plot is in a mature mixed deciduous forest within the mountain district of the Cumberland Plateau physiographic region. It is within the Nature Conservancy Sharp Bingham Mountain Preserve (1600 ha). The Preserve is protected from broad anthropogenic disturbance, but allows limited hunting outside of the plot. The plot's climate is humid subtropical, with hot, humid summers and cool, wet winters. The plot is on a deeply dissected karst landscape with a sandstone cap overlaying several layers of limestone. The majority of the plot (95%) is limestone rockland rough soils that are well-drained with a parent material of residuum weathered from limestone. The remainder of the plot (5%) is Huntington silt loam, which occurs in the floodplains and toe slopes. The variable geology and topography offer a broad range of water availability, from dry benches to moist bottomland sinks, with steep to moderate slopes in between. Elevation ranges from 226 to 323 m above sea level. A 20 m × 20 m grid was professionally surveyed and installed across the 20 ha. Using this grid, we mapped and inventoried all living stems of woody plants (excluding vines) with a diameter of at least 1 cm at breast height. Trees with multiple stems were defined as those with aboveground forks off the main trunk, below breast height, at an angle