Tree seedling germination, precipitation index, and SWE data for subalpine forest, 1940-2010

Annual germination dates for over 450 Engelmann spruce and over 500 subalpine fir seedlings collected across a complex topographic-moisture gradient were compared to climate variability in the Colorado Front Range. This dataset contains the SPEI (standardized-evaporation precipitation index) and snow-water equivalent (SWE) data from 1940 to 2010 used in the study as well as the number of seedlings establishing each year from 1940 to 2010 by species.