Growth, foliar metabolites, and soil characteristics from five floodplain tree and shrub species planted as part of an American elm restoration project within the Finger Lakes National Forest, NY

This data publication includes foliar metabolite/physiology data collected in 2015, and growth measurements from 2015 and 2023 from five species: American elm clones (Ulmus americana L.), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.), silver maple (Acer saccharinum L.), speckled alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench ssp. rugosa (Du Roi) Clausen), and red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea L. ssp. sericea) growing in 3 replicate riparian sites within the Finger Lakes National Forest in New York. These sites were part of a comparative study on the impacts of site conditions and planting prescriptions for riparian restoration efforts including American elm. On August 18 and 19, 2015, 3 months after planting, foliage was collected from 2 plots (tree and tree + shrub) and each split to include or exclude mulch around the elm stems, from 2 out of 3 replicate sites. Foliar data includes free polyamines, free amino acids, soluble ions, chlorophyll, and soluble protein analyzed by High- Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES), and spectrophotometer. Growth measurements were obtained for all 3 sites in May 2015, August of 2015, as well as August 2023. Due to plant mortality, some individuals were replaced in April 2018. Growth data include plant height, ground level diameter, and diameter at breast height as measured by a telescoping height pole and digital calipers. In May 2014, soils were collected to depths of 0-10 and 10-20 centimeters (cm) from prospective areas where plots were later located at 2 out of 3 sites. In May 2015, soils from 0 to 10 cm were collected from within all 3 of the newly established research plots and reference soils were collected from the surrounding forested area with the same ground cover. Sampling in both 2014 and 2015 occurred before trees and shrubs were planted. Soil data includes wet/dry weights, volume, bulk density, soil pH, % Carbon-organic matter, Nitrate-Nitrogen (N), Ammonium-N, active carbon, exchangeable ions, and effective cation exchange capacity analyzed by pH meter, Flow Injection Analysis-Ion Analyzer, Solvita® CO2-Burst test, and ICP-OES. Sub-samples of soil cores collected in 2015 were also analyzed for bacterial and fungal biomass conducted by Soil Foodweb, NY, Inc.The goal of this study was to evaluate if/how planting prescriptions (plot type and ground cover) and site soil characteristics impact foliar physiology, metabolism and growth of American elm, bur oak, and silver maple used to restore ecological function to degraded riparian buffers in livestock pastures in the Finger Lakes National Forest, NY.