Photographs by
Carl C. Hansen
Photographs by
Carl C. Hansen
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), with headquarters in the Republic of Panama, is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, and one of the world's leading centers for basic research on the ecology, behavior and evolution of tropical organisms.
Decades of research by STRI scientists are gradually unravelling the complex ecological processes at work in tropical forests.
More than 70% of the species living in a tropical forest reside in the canopy, the uppermost layer of the forest, and one of the least understood environments on Earth.
The canopy is important because it serves as the interface between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and is physically and biologically the most active part of the forest.
By pioneering a safe Canopy Access System using a modified tower construction crane, STRI scientists can safely and rapidly gain access to large areas of the forest canopy without disturbing the surrounding ecosystem, and bring their laboratory instruments directly into upper levels of the forest for experimental studies.
STRI's system has greatly increased knowledge of canopy species and habitats, and of the adaptive strategies used by tropical trees in response to environmental stress and seasonality.
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