This study compared soil moisture and temperature estimates from the 5th European reanalysis (ERA5-Land) dataset with in-situ measurements to assess the accuracy and applicability of ERA5-Land data for modelling the service life of wood in ground contact. The ERA5-Land soil temperature estimates showed a moderate correlation with the in-situ temperature measurements (Spearman’s ρ of 0.73) and a strong correlation with air temperature measurements (Spearman’s ρ of 0.95). This strong correlation with air temperature can be attributed to ERA5-Land’s use of atmospheric variables. Although a visual assessment showed that the ERA5-land soil moisture estimates closely matched those of the in-situ data, statistical analysis revealed only a weak correlation between the soil moisture estimates and the in-situ measurements (Spearman’s ρ of 0.21). Compared to the in-situ measurements, the ERA5-Land data overestimated the daily soil temperature by 0.6°C and the soil moisture by 3% (based on median). When considering ERA5-Land estimates for input to in-ground wood service life models, the ERA5-Land data would most likely overestimate wood decay and, thus, underestimate service life. Installation of soil climate sensors at graveyard test sites is recommended.

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