Soil C and nutrient stores under Scots pine afforestations compared to ancient beech forests in the German Pleistocene: The role of tree species and forest history.

Highlights: [•] Scots pine has been planted on roughly 5 Mio ha in northern Central Europe replacing beech. [•] Pine plantations had 75% larger organic layer C pools than beech forests. [•] Ancient beech forests stored about 25% more SOC in the mineral soil than pine plantations. [•] The N and Ca, K and Mg pools under beech were even larger as compared to pine stands. [•] Scots pine on sandy soil has a particularly small C accumulation potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]