The site is located in the northernmost part of a region on the Guiana Plateau, characterized by a succession of small, elliptical hills rising to 10-40 m above sea level. The soils are mostly nutrient-poor acrisol. The flux tower site is standing in an area of more than 400 ha undisturbed tropical rainforest. Human activity in the footprint of the flux tower are not known since 1-2 centuries, except a few trees that were illegally logged in the 1880''s.