Response of invasive shrubs to fire-induced injury in eastern US deciduous forests

This dataset contains individual-level responses of two invasive shrub species, Euonymus alatus and Ligustrum obtusifolium, to targeted fire-induced heat injury treatments in an eastern United States deciduous forest. Propane torching experiments were conducted at the Penn State Arboretum in Pennsylvania during fall 2019 and spring 2020. Treatments included basal heating for 5, 20, and 35 seconds, crown heating, combined basal and crown heating, mechanical cutting, and untreated controls. For each tagged shrub, the dataset records species, treatment type, heating duration, crown injury, stem diameter, treatment season, and site. Shrub status was assessed in 2020, 2021, and 2024, and categorized as unaffected, resprouting, or dead, allowing evaluation of both immediate and delayed mortality.