Created in the late 1980s, the Network for the Study and Monitoring of Forest Ecosystems (RESEF) is a network for the long-term monitoring of natural forests, including more than forty stations spread across Quebec. It aims to characterize the main components of these forest ecosystems, to monitor their evolution and to study their functional interactions. Each station consists of a sample plot of 0.5 hectares in deciduous stands and 0.25 hectares in coniferous stands. In order to carry out a detailed monitoring of the characteristics of the vegetation, these plots are subdivided into plots of 100 m2 (10 m × 10 m). Each tree with a diameter at chest height (DHP, measured 1.3 m from the ground) greater than or equal to 11 mm present in the plot is numbered and georeferenced, then its DHP and its height are measured. The dimensions of the crown are noted for trees whose DHP is greater than or equal to 91 mm, and the regeneration is inventoried. Each plot is surrounded by a 100 m protection zone, in which the physicochemical properties of soils and foliage are measured. Analysis of growth rings complete the follow-up. Since 1986, data has been collected at regular intervals of 5 or 10 years according to standardized protocols. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

From 1986 to 2000, a major ecological inventory program was carried out in the forests of southern Quebec in order to describe the diversity of forest ecosystems. In total, **28,425 ecological observation points (POE) ** were established on a territory covering 760,000 km2, located between 45° and 53° N latitude and 57° and 80° W longitude. The POE is a circular sampling unit that covers an area of 400 m². It collects data on the characteristics of forest stand (composition, structure), soil (texture, deposit, drainage), and topography, as well as location information. The coverage of each plant species in the plot is estimated visually. A detailed description of a soil profile is available in approximately 35% of POEs. The ecological classification elements of POEs (groups of indicator species, forest types, potential vegetation, ecological types, etc.) are determined using computerized identification keys using data on vegetation and the physical environment. The criteria used for this ecological classification are those presented in the guides for the recognition of ecological types. **The levels of the ecological classification system of the territory are also determined for each POE. ** **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**