Martin Lukac is Research Assistant at the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK. His main areas of interest are carbon cycling, forest ecology and climate change impacts on ecosystems. He is involved in teaching and research in the area of climate change, focusing on its effects on ecosystem functioning and stability. Douglas L. Godbold is Professor of Forest Sciences, School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales. His research interests include tree roots and rhizosphere biology, particularly in the context of environmental change. He teaches in the areas of plant-soil interactions and forest ecosystems.

• Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Soil properties; 3. Forest soil development and classification; 4. Soil fungi; 5. Soil water; 6. Forest carbon cycle; 7. Nutrient cycling; 8. Northern forests in a high CO2 world; 9. Soil acidity and heavy metal pollution; 10. Nitrogen; 11. Soil functioning and climate change; References; Index.

'… suitable as a text for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students with a strong emphasis on soil classification and properties.' Ecology