Understanding long-term effects of clear-cutting on current soil carbon (C) fluxes in boreal forests is important in the perspective of global C cycling and future forest management decisions. We studied twelve pairs of forest stands in South-Eastern Norway, each comprised of one previously clear-cut stand and one near-natural stand with similar macroclimate, topography and soil properties. We measured aboveground tree litterfall continuously during two consecutive years and soil respiration fluxes monthly during the snow-free period of one year. Ground vegetation litterfall was estimated from destructive biomass sampling. The previously clear-cut stands had on average 12 % higher annual soil respiration rates, 20 % greater tree litterfall, and tended to have greater total aboveground litterfall (12 %), while the near-natural stands had greater litterfall from ground vegetation (45 %). Litterfall from ground vegetation was strongly linked with below-canopy light transmission, but the contribution of this flux to the total aboveground litterfall was minor. Soil respiration rates were related to microclimate, nitrogen concentration in aboveground tree litter and tree basal area. Keywords: Clear-cutting; Carbon flux; Soil respiration; Litterfall; Norway spruce
