Species, DBH, and height of overstory trees in a chronosequence of reforested urban sites, Lexington, KY, USA

Urban reforested areas located in Lexington, Kentucky were evaluated over the course of summer 2020. This dataset contains information on tree species, height, DBH, and snag class across twenty urban reforestation sites planted as part of the Reforest the Bluegrass program in Lexington, KY. At least three plots (and up to nine plots) were established in each site, with additional plots added if forested patches were sufficiently large. At each plot, we established a 0.008-ha (0.02-ac) circular sampling plot and recorded the species, diameter at breast-height (DBH), and total height of each tree ≥2.5 cm (1 in) DBH. DBH was measured to the nearest 0.25 cm (0.1 in) using a DBH tape, and tree height was measured to the nearest 0.1 m using a laser hypsometer (Nikon Forestry Pro II) or telescoping height pole. These data provide a critical baseline for understanding tree growth on reforested urban sites.