Soil Nitrogen

AUS-TCF-CON-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

6900 mg/kg

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

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

Evidence & Context

A study in a moist coastal old-growth temperate forest in the Oregon Cascades, USA, reported a total nitrogen concentration of 0.69% in the topsoil (0-10 cm).1 This value is equivalent to 6.9 g N/kg soil or 6900 mg N/kg soil.

Metric Definition:

Total soil nitrogen concentration in the topsoil (0-10 cm) of a moist coastal old-growth temperate forest in the Oregon Cascades, USA.

Benchmark Definition:

Total soil nitrogen concentration in the topsoil of an old-growth temperate forest in the Oregon Cascades, USA.

Justification:

This value reflects differences in parent material fertility, nitrogen deposition history, and dominant tree species compared to Australian sites.

Sources (1)

Carbon and nitrogen in forest soils: Potential indicators for sustainable management of eucalypt forests in south-eastern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 27, 2025, Journal

Carbon and nitrogen in forest soils: Potential indicators for ...

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Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Coastal Forests & Woodlands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Pristine Reference
Vegetation Forest
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 24 Mar 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Higher total nitrogen value observed in this Oregon old-growth system compared to Australian Eucalyptus values.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TCF-CON-SON family.