Data Request: Our goal is to make the Paint Rock Forest Dynamics Plot (PRFDP) data available to all researchers and educators aiming to advance the science of ecology, sustainable resource management, and related disciplines. Permission to use this dataset is granted to the Data User free of charge subject to the following terms:

Acceptable Use: Use of the dataset will be restricted to academic, research, government or other not-for-profit professional purposes.

Non-transferability: The data and metadata are provided for use by the Data User. The Data User will not redistribute the original Data Set or metadata to others without the explicit permission of the Principal Investigators.

Co-authorship: Maintaining the PRFDP requires enormous field effort and ongoing commitments by Alabama A&M University, the Paint Rock Forest Research Center, ForestGEO, external funding sources, and the individual researchers who oversee project planning, data acquisition and quality control. Recognizing these commitments, we require that the Principal Scientists (PSs) of the PRFDP be notified of intended data use (dawn.lemke@aamu.edu) and that they be considered collaborators on any project making use of the data. As collaborators, the PSs should be given option to be co-authors on any published articles or professional presentations, unless they explicitly state otherwise.

Citation: Acknowledging the work of other scientists is a matter of professional ethics and academic standards. Thus, the Data User will properly attribute the Data Set in any publications or in the metadata of any derived data products that were produced using the Data Set. An appropriate citation will be provided by the PIs on request.

Copies of Articles: Copies of manuscripts or reports using the PRFDP data should be sent to the PIs, Dawn Lemke (dawn.lemke@aamu.edu), prior to submission. Once published, any article making use of the PRFDP data should be sent to the PSs. Upon publication, a PDF copy of (or a link to) the article should also be sent to forestgeo@si.edu.

Acknowledgements: Please acknowledge the funding that allowed the creation of the plot in any publications that arise from our data. The following acknowledgement is appropriate: “Research at the Paint Rock Dynamics Plot was supported by USDA Evans-Allen #1024525, and Capacity Building Grant # 006531” In addition to the PIs, the following individuals also should be acknowledged whenever possible for their work on this project: Helen Czech, William Finch, Stephen Hubbell, Loretta Weninegar.

Disclaimer: While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and documentation contained in this Data Set, complete accuracy of data and metadata cannot be guaranteed. All data and metadata are made available "as is". The Data User holds all parties involved in the production or distribution of the Data Set harmless for damages resulting from its use or interpretation.

Terms of Agreement: By accepting this Data Set, the Data User agrees to abide by the terms of this agreement. The Data Owner shall have the right to terminate this agreement immediately by written notice upon the Data User's breach of, or non-compliance with, any of its terms. The Data User may be held responsible for any misuse that is caused or encouraged by the Data User's failure to abide by the terms of this agreement.