Prescribed fire and canopy thinning reverse effects of mesophication in fire-suppressed oak savannas

Data in this dataset were collected from an experiment studying the
long-term consequences of fire and thinning to reverse mesophication in
midwestern oak savannas. Beginning in 2010, experimental management has
occurred on a fire-suppressed oak savanna at MSU MacCready Reserve in
Jackson County, MI. This property has been divided into fifteen management
units, and randomly assigned one of three treatments (Burn Only,
Thin-Burn, and Unmanaged). This repeated management (with repeated
prescribed fire every 2-3 years in Burn Only and Thin-Burn units, and
three rounds of thinning in the Thin-Burn units) has created structural
differences between these management approaches (See Bassett et al.,
2020). The data in this dataset were collected from all 15 of these
management units across 7 rounds every 2-4 weeks during the 2025 growing
season (May through September). To evaluate how these management regimes
influence key measures of mesophication, including microclimate, canopy
structure, and leaf litter attributes, we repeatedly measured these
attributes from samples taken in the field and measures taken in both the
field at laboratory, using the methods outlined in the manuscript. Rows
represent the treatment rounds for each plot (nested within unit) sampled
from within the management treatment unit (the experimental unit of
replication). Columns represent the measures taken, including canopy
openness, leaf litter temperature, air temperature, humidity, wind speed,
and the moisture content and composition of the litter (oak) calculated in
the lab.