The dataset contains measurements of several soil properties comprising microbial biomass carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), soil enzyme activities, microbial biomass, C and N concentrations, soil carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes and soil microbial and faunal community composition (using DNA based approaches). The data, collected during 2024, originate from three sites (Limerigg, Alyth, and Peebles) comprising a grassland and adjacent former grasslands converted to Scots pine forest; each sites contains 1 grassland and 2 forests, the latter representing two age classes (approximately 14 and 25 years old). Data were collected for a project to understand the critical role of soil food webs in driving ecosystem processes in response to woodland expansion. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/7a91ce68-85b8-4318-8f85-dfe752109cc6
