Soil Nitrogen

AUS-AIF-FOR-SON General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

500 mg/kg

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: MinimumOnly

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 MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

A lower critical threshold is identified at levels below 500 mg/kg, indicating significant soil degradation and compromised ecosystem function.

Metric Definition:

Total Soil Nitrogen concentration in the topsoil (0–30 cm)

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the minimum total soil nitrogen concentration in the topsoil below which significant soil degradation and compromised ecosystem function occur in arid inland floodplains and ephemeral river systems under production forestry.

Justification:

Levels below 500 mg/kg indicate severe degradation and compromised ecosystem function based on fertility decline in cleared woodlands and nutrient limitation principles.

Sources (1)

Preview of Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks following tree clearing were estimated at 32 rangeland sites in central and southern Queensland

Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen stocks following tree clearing were estimated at 32 rangeland sites in central and southern Queensland Journal

Changes in soil carbon and soil nitrogen after tree clearing in the semi-arid rangelands of Queensland - CSIRO PUBLISHING | Australian Journal of Botany, accessed July 30, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 9 Jun 2026

Notes

Indicates significant nutrient depletion, compromised tree health, poor regeneration, and loss of ecosystem resilience. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

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