Soil Hydraulic Conductivity and Carbon Measurements from Paired Woodland-Grassland Sites

Three paired upland woodland and grassland sites in northern England provide measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, and soil organic carbon content from the upper 50 cm of the soil profile. The dataset compares soil properties between woodland and pasture, covering site pairs of new plantation, 15-year-old plantation, and mature woodland. Data collection occurred from July 2019 to April 2021.

Use Cases

• Compare saturated hydraulic conductivity between woodland and pasture soil types to assess land use impacts on infiltration.
• Analyze soil organic carbon content across paired sites to quantify carbon sequestration differences in young versus mature woodlands.
• Model relationships between bulk density and soil organic carbon content for grassland and woodland soil profiles.
• Evaluate soil property changes in new deciduous plantations (less than five years old) versus 15-year-old and mature woodlands relative to paired pastures.

Strengths

• Data from three distinct paired site types (new plantation, 15-year-old plantation, mature woodland) each with a grassland control.
• Measurements focus on three key soil physical properties: saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, and soil organic carbon.
• Samples extracted from the upper 50 cm of the soil profile, providing consistent depth comparison.

Limitations

• Limited to three site pairs in northern England, reducing geographic generalizability.
• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical power assessment.
• Temporal coverage is a discrete period (July 2019-April 2021) without long-term time series.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Soil samples extracted from the upper 50 cm profile at paired sites; laboratory determination of properties.

Time Range

July 2019 to April 2021

Freshness

Data last updated in March 2026, but primary collection ended in April 2021.

Geography

Three paired upland woodland and grassland sites in northern England