Global patterns of the dynamics of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks following afforestation: a meta‐analysis

Summary Afforestation has been proposed as an effective method of carbon (C) sequestration; however, the magnitude and direction of soil carbon accumulation following afforestation and its regulation by soil nitrogen (N) dynamics are still not well understood. We synthesized the results from 292 sites and carried out a meta‐analysis to evaluate the dynamics of soil C and N stocks following afforestation. Changes in soil C and N stocks were significantly correlated and had a similar temporal pattern. Significant C and N stock increases were found 30 and 50 yr after afforestation, respectively. Before these time points, C and N stocks were either depleted or unchanged. Carbon stock increased following…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy