The data relate to the description and geochemical analysis of palaeosols from 5 localities spanning 60 million years from late Silurian to Late Devonian across the NE of North America, encompassing the rise of forested ecosystems. One of the sites (Cairo, New York State) was sampled by drilling cores up to 3m depth through one of the earliest fossil forest sites in the world. The cores were sawn lengthways and half of each has been retained by the New York State Museum Albany NY. The data we provide includes field context photographs of the sites and the samples that were taken, photographic logs of the drilled rock cores annotated with details of the parts that have been sampled, together with detailed geochemical analyses including XRF, XRD and ICP-MS analyses of acid dissolved samples. The 5 localities are sites where there are published records of fossil plants and palaeosols. Late Silurian deposit at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania; Lower Devonian deposit at Gaspe Bay Quebec; Miiddle Devonian forest at Cairo Quarry New York State; slightly later middle Devonian forest at Gilboa, New York; and late Devonian site at Red Hill Hyner, Pennsylvania.
