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Forests
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Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Storage and Cycling in Forest Soil—2nd...
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Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Storage and Cycling in Forest Soil—2nd Edition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2026) | Viewed by 2039

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiwei Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
Interests: soil organic carbon; vegetation restoration; soil micororganisms; global change; plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Kaibo Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
Interests: nitrogen cycles; carbon budget; soil respiration; soil biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In forest ecosystems, plants, soils, and microorganisms are interconnected and interact with one another, unifying biotic and abiotic factors such as above-ground plant parts, root systems, soil organisms, and other biotic factors through the circulation of matter and energy flows within the system, forming an interconnected composite organic whole. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are the three main nutrients that participate in the nutrient cycle of the ecosystem. Soil, as an important component of forest ecosystems, is a "reservoir" for supplying the nutrients needed by plants, and has special ecological significance in the process of above-ground and below-ground energy and material exchanges. At the same time, the important life elements C, N, and P have a strong coupling effects on each other, and play crucial roles both in the lives of individual plants and whole ecosystems. The C, N, P cycles within an ecosystem are flow between plants, soils, microorganisms, and ecological chemometrics.

We welcome to this Special Issue reports of C, N, and P research on areas of interest that include, but are not limited tom the following topics:

  • Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus accumulation;
  • Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus stoichiometry;
  • The mechanisms of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles;
  • Future perspectives for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in forest soils.

Dr. Jiwei Li
Dr. Kaibo Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon
  • nitrogen
  • phosphorus
  • forest
  • soil
  • stoichiometry
  • storage

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2577 KB  
Article
Forest Type Regulates Soil Aggregate Stability and Soil Organic Carbon Stabilization in Subtropical Plantations
by Xinyu Wei, Jie Xiao, Yuan Gong, Jiaming Chang, Lulu Xia, Ye Hu, Wei Liu and Xiang Nong
Forests 2026, 17(2), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17020267 - 16 Feb 2026
Viewed by 359
Abstract
The influence of forest type on soil aggregates distribution, stability, and the contribution of aggregate-associated carbon (C) to bulk soil organic carbon (SOC) remains poorly understood. This may be crucial for the accumulation and persistence of SOC in subtropical ecosystems. In this study, [...] Read more.
The influence of forest type on soil aggregates distribution, stability, and the contribution of aggregate-associated carbon (C) to bulk soil organic carbon (SOC) remains poorly understood. This may be crucial for the accumulation and persistence of SOC in subtropical ecosystems. In this study, we examined soil aggregate distribution and stability at two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm) in 10-, 20-, and 30-year-old Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) and Chimonobambusa quadrangularis (square bamboo) plantations. We further assessed the contribution of carbon (C) associated with distinct aggregate fractions to bulk SOC. Across all stand ages and soil depths, macroaggregates accounted for 19%–56% of total soil aggregates in Japanese cedar plantations, whereas their proportion was 30%–337% higher in square bamboo plantations. In contrast, fine aggregates constituted 3%–67% of total aggregates in Japanese cedar plantations, but were 29%–94% lower in square bamboo plantations than in Japanese cedar plantations. Compared with Japanese cedar plantations, aggregate mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) increased by 17%–88% and 35%–152%, respectively, in square bamboo plantations. In Japanese cedar soils, C and nitrogen (N) were primarily concentrated in coarse macroaggregates and fine macroaggregates, whereas in square bamboo plantations, C and N were mainly associated with coarse macroaggregates only. Both aggregate-associated soil C and N varied significantly with aggregate size and forest type, and Japanese cedar soils exhibited higher aggregate C/N ratios, particularly in older stands. Bulk SOC was positively correlated with macroaggregate-associated C in both forest types and with the silt and clay fractions in Japanese cedar plantations. MWD increased with higher macroaggregate C content and declined as the proportion of C in smaller aggregate fractions increased. These findings indicate that forest type plays a critical role in regulating soil aggregation and SOC stabilization pathways, with square bamboo plantations enhancing C sequestration by promoting macroaggregate formation and stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Storage and Cycling in Forest Soil—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 15057 KB  
Article
Biochar Application for Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Forest Ecosystems: A Bibliometric Analysis Using CiteSpace
by Xiangrui Xu, Zeyu Cao, Yang Guo, Tong Li, Linshen Jiao, Yu Bai and Cheng Liu
Forests 2025, 16(9), 1454; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16091454 - 12 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Research on biochar application in forest soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation has evolved into a rapidly expanding and increasingly sophisticated field. To address the lack of systematic evaluation, this study employed a bibliometric approach using the Web of Science database [...] Read more.
Research on biochar application in forest soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation has evolved into a rapidly expanding and increasingly sophisticated field. To address the lack of systematic evaluation, this study employed a bibliometric approach using the Web of Science database to analyze literature published between 1996 and 2025. The visualization and analysis were conducted using CiteSpace, a bibliometric tool that identifies emerging trends and research frontiers through co-citation networks, keyword mapping, and burst detection. Our analysis reveals a sustained rise in publication output, with China, the United States, and the European Union identified as leading contributors, whose influence continues to grow. Thematic mapping indicates a clear progression from early studies focused on “black carbon” and “soil organic matter” toward mechanism-driven investigations, with the “microbial community” now recognized as a key mediator of biochar’s ecological effects. Keyword clustering and burst analysis further reveal that biochar’s influence on soil fertility and microbial functioning has become central to its role in enhancing soil carbon sequestration and mitigating GHG emissions. While biochar’s capacity to enhance SOC stocks is widely affirmed, its variable impact on GHG fluxes highlights the need for integrated assessments of net Global Warming Potential (GWP). Despite promising advances, critical barriers persist, including the paucity of long-term, landscape-scale field trials and the absence of standardized production protocols, both contributing to inconsistent outcomes across studies. Future research should prioritize mechanistic studies across diverse forest ecosystems and adopt comprehensive life cycle assessments that account for both soil and vegetation-mediated carbon sinks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Storage and Cycling in Forest Soil—2nd Edition)
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