Ambient soil temperatures in prescribed burned ponderosa pine forests at Fort Valley Experimental Forest, Arizona

The hourly temperature in the soil at three depths beneath the forest floor of ponderosa pine stands subjected to periodic prescribed burning was measured during one growing season from May until November, 1986 at the Fort Valley Experimental Forest in northern Arizona. Temperatures were measured in 3-day periods at a subset of locations and then the recording devices were moved to a different subset so the measurements at a particular location were separated by about 4 weeks. Additional hourly data from an onsite weather station for air temperature, solar intensity, and precipitation, as well as forest floor depth (6 samples measured above soil temperature site) are included as separate files to assist in site characterization.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of regular prescribed burning on soil temperatures under different overstory classes of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) located in northern Arizona at the Fort Valley Experimental Forest.Original metadata date was 08/30/2018. On 09/25/2018 we updated the metadata to update the information we were providing regarding the forest floor data file. Additional minor metadata updates made on 05/18/2021.