Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TSW-FOR-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 1 to 1.2 %

Thresholds: Lower: 1, Upper: —

Optimal Range: 1 to 1.2

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

The derived benchmark for a high-health state on loamy soils is an SOC concentration of 1.0% to 1.2% in the top 0–10 cm.

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration in the top 0–10 cm soil layer

Benchmark Definition:

SOC concentration in the top 0–10 cm soil layer representing high ecological health in loamy soils under production forestry in temperate semi-arid shrublands and open woodlands.

Justification:

This benchmark is derived by inference from a well-managed, low-intensity grazing system in a NSW semi-arid woodland, serving as a proxy for sustainable forestry. It is supported by studies linking higher SOC to high perennial plant cover, a key indicator of ecosystem health.

Sources (1)

Preview of Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Managing grazing to increase ground cover in rangelands: using remote sensing to detect change | Request PDF - ResearchGate

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Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

How Much Carbon Can Soil Store - NSW | Fact Sheets | soilquality ...

Contextual Support Government

How Much Carbon Can Soil Store - NSW | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au

View Source

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Direct Evidence

Critical review of the impacts of grazing intensity on soil organic carbon storage and other soil quality indicators in extensively managed grasslands - PubMed Central, accessed July 28, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Semi-Arid Shrublands & Open Woodlands
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 20 Mar 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: 1 %; No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. The benchmark is specific to loamy soils with some clay content. For sandy soils, especially in Mallee ecoregions, achievable SOC levels are inherently lower, often less than 1.0%.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSW-FOR-SOC family.