Data from: Mastication treatments increase perennial herbaceous cover across soil types in southeastern Colorado piñon-juniper woodlands

In this study we assessed vegetation responses to mastication treatments across three dominant soil types in two-needle piñon (Pinus edulis Engelm. [Pinaceae]) - one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma [Engelm.] Sarg.) woodlands in southeast Colorado, USA – a region characterized by monsoonal precipitation, limited presence of introduced plant species, and relatively high grazing intensity by cattle and wildlife. We surveyed understory species composition in the year prior to mastication (2018) as well as 1 (2019) and 3 years (2021) post-mastication. Fifteen sites were established, with paired treatment and control plots that measured 10 by 50 meters. The line point intercept method was used to survey ground cover and plant community composition across all years. Targeted sampling of understory plants also occurred in small quadrats in 2019 and 2021 under where canopy trees existed prior to mastication, on the edge of the tree canopy prior to mastication, and in the interspace.