This dataset documents the analyses and the plot generation for the manuscript Long-term biomass dynamics in temperate forests in Europe after cessation of management. We analyse biomass development in an extensive network of 224 plots in 37 natural forest reserves (NFR) covering a wide environmental gradient with mean annual temperatures ranging from 1 to 10.4 °C and mean annual precipitation ranging from 901 to 2317 mm. Forest inventories have been conducted approximately every 10 years during the last 60 years.

It consists of the following files: + Long_term_biomass_script.Rmd: R markdown document to reproduce the analysis and the plot generation. + dat_biomass.RDS: Biomass values for each permanent plot at each inventory. This dataset is used for data exploration and for the Biomass model, and to create Figure 2 and Figure 3. + dat_biomass_change.RDS: Biomass change values between inventories for each permanent plot. It includes the explanatory variables as well. This dataset is used for the Biomass change model and to create Figure 4 and Figure 5. + NFI_climspace_netCDF.RDS: Climatic space covered by the Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI) that is used in Figure 5.