Logging intensity and biome type mediate the effects of forest logging on soil greenhouse gas emissions

Understanding the impacts of forest logging on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is crucial for developing sustainable forest management practices and climate change mitigation strategies. However, the directional patterns, magnitude of change, and mechanistic drivers underlying logging-induced alterations in soil GHG fluxes remain insufficiently characterized. Through a global meta-analysis incorporating 641 paired observations from 163 peer-reviewed studies, we demonstrated that forest logging significantly enhanced soil methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes (mean effect sizes = 1.81 and 0.75, respectively), while exerting no substantial overall influence on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) flux (mean effect size = −0.09, 95 % CI: −0.44 – 0.25). Biome-specific analysis revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with arctic/boreal ecosystems exhibiting greater responsiveness to logging impacts compared to tropical/subtropical regions. These emission shifts were mechanistically associated with logging-induced modifications in soil thermal regimes, hydrological conditions, and initial carbon-nitrogen content. Notably, soil CH 4 and CO 2 fluxes changes showed significant relationships with logging intensity (2.75 – 100 % basal area removal; P < 0.05), whereas time since logging (0.1 – 96 years) generally exhibited non-significant correlations with all measured GHG emissions ( P > 0.05). Moreover, our meta-regression analysis identified thresholds governing the global-scale responses of GHG emissions to both logging intensity and temporal recovery. These insights advance the mechanistic understanding of disturbance-mediated biogeochemical processes and provide empirical foundations for optimizing silvicultural interventions to achieve climate-adaptive forestry objectives. • Forest logging overall significantly enhanced soil CH 4 and N 2 O but not CO 2 fluxes. • The effects of logging on GHGs fluxes varies considerably by biome type. • Soil temperature, moisture, and C/N availability drive post-logging GHG dynamics. • Thresholds for logging intensity and post-harvest recovery duration were delineated.