Reindeer pasture inventory data from northernmost Finland

The reindeer pasture inventory field data collected by Natural Resources Institute Finland contains 617 permanent field sites located in 20 northernmost reindeer herding co-operatives in Finland and studied during two pasture inventories during summers 2006-2008 and 2016-2018. These permanent field sites are placed in the nutrient poor dry or semi-dry lichen (Cladina spp.) type winter pastures by the semi-domesticated reindeer located in the areas grazed by reindeer either only in winter or in summer, or then in both seasons. Depending on the area, the ground lichen pastures are in pine or mountain birch forests or then in open mountain heaths. During both inventories, the same straight line containing 10 ground plants squares (size 0.25 m2) and 10 vegetation and tree circles (radius 3.99 m) were studied in each site. Coverages and heights of different lichens and dwarf shrubs as well as coverage mosses were evaluated in each vegetation square. The vegetation and forest type and tree canopy cover in each field site were evaluated estimating it either in the whole site area or separately in each circle.

Climate variables were calculated from the Finnish Meteorological Institutes gridded daily climatology data set (https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD024651).