Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TMS-FOR-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 2.5 to 5 %

Optimal Range: 2.5 to 5

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. The scoring engine uses 13 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 12 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary Point Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard LowerThreshold Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

An optimal SOC range for this context is suggested as 2.5 – 5.0% (0-10 cm).

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) percentage in the 0-10 cm soil layer

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents an optimal range of Soil Organic Carbon percentage in the top 10 cm of soil for Tropical Monsoonal Savannas under production forestry, indicating healthy soil function and ecosystem quality.

Justification:

The lower end of this range signifies a healthy soil with good functional capacity, while the upper end reflects the benchmark values observed in high-quality savanna ecosystems.

Sources (1)

Optimal Fire Regimes for Soil Carbon Storage in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate Journal

Optimal Fire Regimes for Soil Carbon Storage in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

$Preview of Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025,$

Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Pedogenic controls of soil organic carbon stocks and stability beneath montane Norway spruce forests along a precipitation gradient - PMC, accessed March 28, 2026,

View Source

Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils

Contextual Support Journal

Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 25 Mar 2026

Notes

Management practices, including appropriately managed fire regimes, are key to achieving and maintaining SOC within this optimal range. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation.

Related Benchmarks

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