Data from: Rewilded scrubland as a carbon sink: allometric models to improve biomass estimation under herbivory
Data files
Jul 08, 2026 version files 41.63 KB
Abstract
This dataset contains individual‑level biomass and structural measurements for 270 destructively sampled scrub trees and shrubs from the rewilded Knepp Estate, West Sussex, UK. It underpins the study “Rewilded scrubland as a carbon sink: allometric models to improve biomass estimation under herbivory”, which develops taxon‑specific allometric equations for estimating above‑, below‑ and total biomass in multi‑stemmed scrub under contrasting browsing conditions.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.37pvmcw06
Description of the data and file structure
The data were collected as part of a field experiment designed to quantify biomass allocation and carbon storage in rewilded scrub under contrasting browsing pressure at the Knepp Estate, UK. The experimental effort involved randomly selecting 270 individuals of five dominant woody taxa across browsing conditions, destructively harvesting entire trees, and measuring structural traits (height, basal/breast‑height diameter, canopy area) together with oven‑dry above‑ and belowground biomass to develop scrub‑specific allometric equations and assess root:shoot responses to herbivory.
Each row represents a single individual of one of five dominant woody taxa (blackthorn Prunus spinosa, dog rose Rosa canina, hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, oak Quercus spp., and sallow Salix spp.). Individuals span a broad size gradient and both browsing conditions, enabling analyses of biomass allocation, root:shoot ratios and structural predictors of biomass in herbivore‑influenced scrub. This was used to build taxon-specific allometric equations.
Files and variables
File: Burrell_et_al_2026_Knepp_rewilded_scrub_allometry_biomass_dataset.xlsx
Description:
Each row represents a single tree sampled across five dominant woody taxa (blackthorn, dog rose, hawthorn, oak and sallow) and two browsing conditions (exposed vs. protected), with other variables outlined below.
Variables and abbreviations (per row = one individual tree):
ID– Unique sample identifier for each individual.condition– Browsing condition;"exposed"= accessible to large herbivores,"protected"= partially shielded within bramble.taxa– Focal woody taxon ("blackthorn","dogrose","hawthorn","oak","sallow").above– Oven‑dry aboveground biomass (g).below– Oven‑dry belowground biomass (g)total– Oven‑dry total biomass (g), (above + below)height– Plant height (cm)dbh– Stem diameter in mm, measured at base or breast height depending on individual size (as described in the associated article)canopy_area– Planimetric canopy area (cm²), calculated from two perpendicular crown diametersdensity– Wood density (g cm⁻³), derived from dry mass and displaced volume of subsamplesrs_ratio– Root:shoot ratio (dimensionless), calculated as below / above
Missing values:
Missing values are indicated as NA (uppercase) in the dataset
Code/software
The dataset is provided as a Microsoft Excel workbook (.xlsx) and can be viewed and edited using spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel (2016 or later), LibreOffice Calc (v7.x) or Google Sheets. No specialised or proprietary analysis software, code or scripts are required, and no code files are included with this submission
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- NA
Data was derived from the following sources:
- NA
Field data were collected in the Southern Block of the rewilded Knepp Estate (West Sussex, UK), within a 13‑ha plot selected to capture heterogeneous scrub and wood‑pasture vegetation. From an initial population of c. 3,300 scrub individuals, 270 woody scrubs were randomly selected, stratified by taxon (blackthorn, dog rose, hawthorn, oak, sallow), height class and browsing condition (exposed vs. protected within bramble), to represent the size and structural variation of the shrub community.
For each selected individual, plant height and stem diameter were measured (diameter at base or breast height, depending on size), and canopy area was calculated from two perpendicular crown diameter measurements. Browsing condition was recorded as a categorical variable, distinguishing plants freely accessible to large herbivores from those partially shielded by bramble, to quantify the influence of herbivory on biomass allocation.
Destructive sampling was then conducted by excavating each plant’s root system within a fixed radius and depth, and separating aboveground (stems and canopy) and belowground (roots) components. All components were weighed fresh in the field, subsampled, oven‑dried to constant mass and re‑weighed to obtain oven‑dry aboveground biomass, belowground biomass and total biomass per individual; wood density was estimated from volume and dry mass measurements of subsamples.
The final dataset was assembled by combining field measurements and laboratory results into a single table in which each row corresponds to one individual plant, identified by a unique ID. Variables include species, browsing condition, structural traits (height, diameter, canopy area), oven‑dry biomass components, wood density and derived root:shoot ratios, providing the calibration data used to develop the allometric models in the associated manuscript.