Abstract Key Message We present data from a new delimited 1-ha forest plot on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia and describe its tree diversity, composition, and structure. This data can be used in regional analyses and help to refine remote sensing models. Future censuses will provide data on the demographics of rare, endangered, and endemic trees that can be used for their conservation. Dataset access is at https://doi.org/10.15472/ftwol2 . Associated metadata are available at https://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/srv/fre/catalog.search#/metadata/a4a7855f-4cb2-459b-a1a2-287bd1e6d587 .