Thinning, a major practice of even-aged forest management, notably affects the stand structure and microclimates and thus in turn soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) cycling. However, the magnitude and direction of these effects remain uncertain. We performed a meta-analysis of 1228 observations from 115 studies worldwide to explore the effects of thinning on forest soil N and P processes. The results showed that thinning increased the concentrations of soil nitrate, total P, and available P by 11.7%, 6.1%, and 11.4%, respectively, but had no effect on the concentrations of soil total N and ammonium. Thinning stimulated soil microbial activities regulating soil N and P cycling, evidenced by the increased microbial biomass N and the activities of N- and P-acquiring extracellular enzymes. Thinning also increased net N mineralization and nitrification rates, but did not significantly affect N₂O emission. However, these thinning effects varied with climates and forest biomes. The effect sizes of N-cycling processes were significantly correlated with mean annual precipitation or mean annual temperature, implying that these N fluxes are more sensitive to thinning in warm and humid regions. Collectively, our meta-analysis indicates that thinning promotes forest soil N and P cycling and increases the soil fertility, which are conducive to improving forest ecosystem functions.

间伐是均龄森林管理的主要做法，显着影响林分结构和小气候，进而影响土壤氮 (N) 和磷 (P) 循环。然而，这些影响的幅度和方向仍然不确定。我们对来自全球 115 项研究的 1228 项观察结果进行了荟萃分析，以探索间伐对森林土壤 N 和 P 过程的影响。结果表明，间伐使土壤硝酸盐、全磷和速效磷的浓度分别增加了11.7%、6.1%和11.4%，但对土壤全氮和铵盐的浓度没有影响。间伐刺激了调节土壤 N 和 P 循环的土壤微生物活动，微生物生物量 N 的增加以及 N 和 P 获取胞外酶的活性证明了这一点。₂ O 排放。然而，这些变薄效应因气候和森林生物群落而异。N循环过程的影响大小与年平均降水量或年平均温度显着相关，这意味着这些N通量在暖湿地区对变薄更敏感。总的来说，我们的荟萃分析表明，间伐促进了森林土壤氮磷循环，增加了土壤肥力，有利​​于改善森林生态系统功能。