The advantage of afforestation using native tree species to enhance soil quality in degraded forest ecosystems

Different vegetation restoration methods have improved soil quality to varying degrees. This study, focused on the forest-grassland-desert transition zone in the Hebei-Inner Mongolia border region, and employed a systematic grid sampling method to establish fixed monitoring plots in the Saihanba Mechanized Forest Farm and the Ulan Buh Grassland. The differences in soil quality evolution across various vegetation restoration methods under the same climatic and soil historical conditions were analyzed, elucidating the roles of these vegetation restoration methods in degraded forest ecosystems, with the aim of providing a reference for ecological restoration under similar land conditions. This study used a grid method to establish sample points in the forest-grassland-desert transitional zone and assessed five methods of vegetation restoration sites: artificial forest composed of native species of Larix principis-rupprechtii (FL), artificial forest composed of exotic Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (FP), natural secondary broad-leaved forest (FN), open grassland (GO), and enclosed grassland (GC). The differences in soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AN), rapidly available phosphorus (AP) and rapidly available potassium (AK) among the different vegetation restoration sites were compared via variance analysis, and the soil quality index (SQI) was calculated to assess the soil quality at the sample points. The SOC, TN, and AN contents of forest soil were significantly greater than those of grassland, and the TN, TP, AN, AK, and SOC contents of FL, FN, and GC were significantly greater than those of FP and GO. Among them, the TN, TP, and SOC contents were the highest in the FL, reaching 2.74, 0.39, and 47.27 g kg