Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) Database

Scion’s Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) system is a comprehensive database of forest growth data that underpins New Zealand’s commercial forest industry. The system contains information about the effect that factors such as environment, genetics and silviculture regimes have on the growth of stands and trees. The PSP system is arguably one of the most extensive data resources on tree growth, internationally. The PSP system holds data dating from the 1920s, and has been in a digital format since the early 1960s. The current digital platform is a flexible relational database that holds different types of forest data for both experimental research and commercial growth plots. These data are sourced from permanent sample plots that have been established, and regularly measured, in different forest types throughout New Zealand. The system holds data from 32,000 PSPs of which 11,500 are current and 20,500 historic records.