The Smithsonian Institution, under the auspices of the Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) and the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) manages a global network of forest research plots committed to the study of tropical and temperate forest function and diversity. The multi-institutional network comprises more than forty forest research plots across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe, with a strong focus on tropical regions. The Smithsonian and its partner institutions currently monitor the growth and survival of 4.5 million trees over 40 fully censused large-scale forest inventories, including approximately 8,500 species of trees.

Owing to extensive biological monitoring, unique databases, citizen scientists and the expertise of the partners, the Smithsonian-HSBC enterprise stands as a premier international partnership in the environmental sciences. The Smithsonian-HSBC partnership promises to enhance society's ability to evaluate and respond to the impacts of global environmental change on the diverse set of ecological, social, and economic services provided by forests around the world. Carbon storage, clean and plentiful water, and biodiversity conservation for enhanced ecosystem function and human well being are just a few of the services provided by our forests world-wide.