BGCI GlobalTreeSearch Tree Species Scraper

Scrapes the BGCI GlobalTreeSearch database — the authoritative, comprehensive list of the world's ~58,000 tree species maintained by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). Each record includes the full scientific name, plant family, taxonomic author, data source, native-country distribution, and known synonyms.

GlobalTreeSearch is the primary reference behind the Global Tree Assessment and is used by arboreta, reforestation programmes, carbon and forestry projects, and conservation NGOs worldwide. This actor extracts the complete database into a flat, queryable dataset.

Features

• Scrapes all ~58,000 tree species from the BGCI GlobalTreeSearch JSON API
• Supports targeted scraping by genus — specify one or more genera to limit the dataset
• Extracts native-country distribution for every species (TSGeolinks)
• Extracts taxonomic synonyms (TSTaxas)
• No authentication required — uses the BGCI public data API
• Polite rate limiting (200ms delay between genus requests)

Use cases

• Carbon and reforestation projects — verify species eligibility and native range for project countries
• Conservation NGOs — track the full tree species inventory with distribution metadata
• ESG and biodiversity risk analytics — build species datasets for portfolio screening
• Arboreta and botanical gardens — collection planning and completeness audits
• AI training data — authoritative tree taxonomy + geography for forestry models

Input

Field	Type	Description	Default
genera	Array of strings	List of genus names to scrape (e.g. ["Quercus", "Abies"]). Leave empty to scrape all ~4,162 genera.	["Quercus", "Abies"]
maxItems	Integer	Maximum number of records to collect	10

Example input (targeted):

{
  "genera": ["Quercus", "Abies", "Pinus"],
  "maxItems": 1000
}

Example input (full database):

{
  "genera": [],
  "maxItems": 100000
}

Output

Each record in the dataset represents one tree species:

Field	Type	Description
bgci_id	Integer	GlobalTreeSearch internal record ID
taxon	String	Full scientific name (genus + species + infraspecific epithets)
genus	String	Genus name (derived from the taxon name)
family	String	Plant family (e.g. Fagaceae, Pinaceae)
author	String	Taxonomic author citation
source	String	Data source (e.g. IUCN RL tree review 2020, WCSP)
problems	String or null	Data-quality or nomenclatural notes
distribution_done	String	Whether distribution mapping is complete (yes / no)
note	String or null	Additional remarks
native_countries	String	Semicolon-separated list of countries where the species is native
synonyms	String	Semicolon-separated list of known taxonomic synonyms
bgci_url	String	Link to the species record on the BGCI GlobalTreeSearch website

Example record:

{
  "bgci_id": 151050178,
  "taxon": "Quercus acatenangensis",
  "genus": "Quercus",
  "family": "Fagaceae",
  "author": "Trel.",
  "source": "IUCN RL tree review 2020",
  "problems": null,
  "distribution_done": "yes",
  "note": null,
  "native_countries": "El Salvador; Guatemala; Mexico",
  "synonyms": null,
  "bgci_url": "https://www.bgci.org/resources/bgci-databases/globaltreesearch/?species=Quercus%20acatenangensis"
}

Performance and pricing

• Full database (all ~58k species): requires iterating ~4,162 genus endpoints. Each genus request takes ~2–3 seconds including the polite delay, so a full run takes several hours. Set a high maxItems and plan for a longer run.
• Targeted genus scraping: very fast — each genus returns instantly (e.g. Quercus returns ~424 species in one request).
• Pricing: Pay-per-event (PPE) — you are charged only for records collected, not for run time.

Data source

Data is sourced from the BGCI GlobalTreeSearch API — the public JSON endpoint of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International's GlobalTreeSearch database. No API key or authentication is required.

GlobalTreeSearch is distinct from:

• GBIF — occurrence/observation points (where specimens have been found)
• IPNI — nomenclature (plant name registry)
• GlobalTreeSearch — tree-conservation status + native country distribution (this actor)

Limitations

• Distribution data (native_countries) reflects the BGCI's geo-linking records and may not be exhaustive for all species.
• Conservation status (e.g. IUCN Red List category) is referenced in the source field but the specific category is not returned by the genus endpoint. This is a GlobalTreeSearch API limitation.
• The full ~58k species database requires a long runtime. For large-scale use, run with generous maxItems and timeoutSecs.