Soil Nitrogen

AUS-TSW-FOR-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1000 mg/kg

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard UpperThreshold Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard UpperThreshold Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

A single value of 1000 mg/kg (0.1%) is selected as a robust and representative benchmark.

Metric Definition:

Total Soil Nitrogen (NTO) as a percentage of fine soil mass converted to mg/kg.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the typical total soil nitrogen concentration in the topsoil of healthy eucalypt woodlands in temperate semi-arid shrublands under production forestry, reflecting natural low-nutrient conditions.

Justification:

The value must reflect the natural, low-nutrient status of a healthy, functioning woodland. It is grounded in real-world measurements from such systems and sits comfortably above levels associated with severe degradation.

Sources (1)

Preview of Al-Beidh, S., & Al-Tawaha, A. R. M. (2023). Basic Properties and Mineralogy of Soils and Their Impact on the Growth of Jarrah Forest in Southwestern Australia. Land, 12(6), 1236.

Al-Beidh, S., & Al-Tawaha, A. R. M. (2023). Basic Properties and Mineralogy of Soils and Their Impact on the Growth of Jarrah Forest in Southwestern Australia. Land, 12(6), 1236. Journal

Soil Characteristics and Fertility of the Unique Jarrah Forest of Southwestern Australia, with Particular Consideration of Plant Nutrition and Land Rehabilitation - MDPI, accessed July 19, 2025,

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Supporting Sources (1)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Review of C:N Ratios in Vegetation, Litter and Soil Under Australian Native Forests and Plantations - DCCEEW

Contextual Support Journal

Review of C:N Ratios in Vegetation, Litter and Soil ... - DCCEEW

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 25 Mar 2026

Notes

The benchmark represents Total Nitrogen in the topsoil (0-15 cm) of a well-managed, ecologically healthy system. The value is derived via triangulation of data from the CSIRO/TERN Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia framework, corroborated with field data from analogous healthy native eucalypt woodlands (~800 mg/kg), and set above levels found in degraded agricultural land (~1100 mg/kg mean). Best-practice production forestry in this biome is low-intensity and prioritizes maintaining natural ecosystem function.

Related Benchmarks

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