Data from: Restoration fosters later-successional seed rain, yet large seeds remain scarce after two decades

These datasets contain seed rain and fruiting trees data collected from a long-term tropical forest restoration experiment in southern Costa Rica. Seed sampling was conducted across seven experimental sites, each including three restoration treatments (natural regeneration, applied nucleation, and plantation), as well as four nearby reference forest sites. Within each plot, 16 seed traps (0.5 m², 1 mm mesh) were installed and monitored over a two-year period (March 2021–February 2023), with seeds collected twice monthly. All seeds ≥1 mm were counted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using a reference collection, resulting in 142,501 seeds from 104 later-successional species across 41 families. For each record, associated information includes trap identity and coordinates, site and treatment, species identity, dispersal mode, growth form, and seed size. Species were classified into successional categories (mid- or late-successional), and seed size was recorded or categorized. Additional data include observations of fruiting trees within plots to assess potential local versus external seed sources.