Baseline Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Measurements in a Scottish Woodland Experiment

25 soil samples were collected on a 100-meter grid within a native forest creation site and adjacent grassland in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The dataset provides baseline measurements of soil carbon and nitrogen content from September and November 2022, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council and Leverhulme Trust. This data establishes a reference for tracking changes as planted and naturally regenerating trees establish.

Use Cases

• Establish baseline soil carbon and nitrogen content levels for future comparison against woodland growth.
• Analyze spatial variation in soil properties across the 100-meter sampling grid within the planting area.
• Compare soil measurements from the forest creation site with those from the adjacent, unplanted grassland control area.
• Correlate soil sample collection timing (September vs. November 2022) with initial nutrient content readings.

Strengths

• Data provides a spatially structured baseline with 25 samples collected on a defined 100-meter grid.
• Includes a control comparison with 8 samples from adjacent, unplanted grassland.
• Sampling occurred in two distinct time periods (September and November 2022) within the same year.
• Dataset is part of a long-term tracking study for soil carbon and nitrogen content.

Limitations

• Small sample size of 25 measurements limits statistical power for broad generalizations.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single experimental site on the Beldorney Estate in Aberdeenshire.
• Lacks detailed column metadata, requiring users to consult the external DOI for full data structure.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Soil samples collected on a 100 m grid within a forest creation site and adjacent grassland.

Time Range

2022

Freshness

Last updated March 2026, with underlying field data from 2022.

Geography

Beldorney Estate, Aberdeenshire, Scotland