The Brazilian government plans to undertake the huge task of recording an inventory of the trees in the Amazon rain forest.
The Forestry Ministry says the project will take four years and will provide detailed data on tree species, soils and biodiversity in the world's largest rainforest.
The BBC reports that 7000 different areas in the Amazon forest will go through a thorough census.
Scientists will begin by mapping the so-called "deforestation arch", a region that crosses three states in which logging and pressure from agriculture is most intense.
The government says the research will allow Brazil to improve public policies to protect the Amazon.
