This dataset contains baseline soil carbon and nitrogen content within a native forest creation site on the Beldorney Estate, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. 17 samples were collected on a 100 m grid at the site prior to planting. The 100 m grid was extended into adjacent grassland that won’t be planted and 8 additional samples were collected. The 100 m grid samples were all collected in September 2022. Within the planting area 17 plots were left unplanted, these will be used to track natural tree regeneration, and additional soil samples were collected here in November 2022. Soil carbon and nitrogen content will be tracked at the site as the planted and naturally regenerating trees establish. The work was supported by Natural Environment Research Council (NE/W004976/1) as part of the Agile Initiative at the Oxford Martin School and Leverhulme Trust as part of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery at the University of Oxford. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/75fc1418-b0ff-4dca-9b78-70c3c82d94b7
