Article | Long‐Term Effects of Woodland Creation on Soil Carbon Stocks and Aggregate Distribution in Central Scotland

Article

Long‐Term Effects of Woodland Creation on Soil Carbon Stocks and Aggregate Distribution in Central Scotland

Details

Citation

Azevedo O, Vanguelova E, Ashwood F, Fuentes‐Montemayor E, Wilson C, van der Linde S & Park KJ (2026) Long‐Term Effects of Woodland Creation on Soil Carbon Stocks and Aggregate Distribution in Central Scotland. Soil Use and Management, 42 (1), Art. No.: e70162. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.70162

Abstract
The importance of increasing woodland cover in mitigating climate change is widely recognised, yet quantification of the long-term impact of maturing woodlands on soil structure and carbon stocks remains limited. This study evaluates soil structure and carbon content across a chronosequence of UK woodlands established over the last 160?years and old-growth woodland (250+ years old) compared to pasture sites. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks were significantly higher in woodland soils than in pastures, with mature and ancient woodlands containing up to 88%–111% more SOC ─ primarily due to the development of an organic layer that contributed up to 42% of total carbon stocks. In contrast, differences in carbon within mineral soil layers (0–15?cm, 15–30?cm) were minimal, indicating that afforestation-driven carbon gains are largely restricted to surface horizons. Woodland age had a large effect on carbon concentrations within water-stable aggregates (η2?=?0.58, p??2000?μm) exhibiting the greatest increases (Cohen's d?=?1.28). Mid-aged woodlands (31–80?years) displayed particularly even carbon distribution across aggregate size classes, while older stands showed accumulation in finer fractions (?0.05, η2?

Keywords
afforestation; chronosequence; forest succession; land use change; mean weight diameter; soil aggregation; soil organic carbon

Journal
Soil Use and Management: Volume 42, Issue 1