Using biological indicators to assess the health of forest soils

In this study, we define forest soil health as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains native biodiversity, ecological balances, and ecosystem services in forests.” Soil health, a cornerstone of forest ecosystem health, has seen its assessment methods evolve from traditional chemical and physical property measurements to include comprehensive assessments that incorporate biological indicators. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the challenges facing forest soil health, how to evaluate forest soil health based on biological indicators, and the issues that need to be considered, with the aim of providing valuable insights for ultimately constructing a simple and effective biological-based forest soil health indicator system.