Beneficial microorganisms for sustainable forestry: learning from agricultural systems

Abstract With the increasing global population and mounting pressures on resources and the environment, sustainable forestry production has become a key approach for maintaining ecosystem stability, enhancing carbon sequestration and preserving biodiversity. This review summarizes the current applications, challenges and future perspectives of beneficial microorganisms in sustainable forestry. beneficial microorganisms enhance plant and tree growth, stress resistance, and soil health through nutrient cycling, regulation of plant hormones, and gene expression. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), endophytic bacteria, and specific plant growth-promoting microbial consortia demonstrate significant potential in improving nutrient uptake, salt and drought tolerance, and disease resistance. However, the practical application of beneficial microorganisms in forestry is constrained by multiple translational barriers, including low colonization stability, strong environmental heterogeneity, and limited persistence of introduced microorganisms. Using Chinese fir ( Cunninghamia lanceolata ), a major plantation species in subtropical China, as a representative case, this review further illustrates how nutrient limitation, biotic stresses, and soil degradation interact with microbial processes and influence forest sustainability. Lessons from agricultural microbial applications, including crop rotation, mixed-species plantations, and biofertilizer management, provide valuable insights for optimizing microbial community structures to enhance tree growth and ecological adaptability. Integrating these approaches with microbiome-based management strategies offers promising pathways to overcome current limitations in forestry systems. Future research should focus on exploring and applying functional rhizosphere microbes, designing synthetic microbial communities, and investigating the interactions between tree species diversity and microbial communities, offering theoretical and technical support for sustainable forestry production.