2026-06-27http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/224443The carbon (C) balance is a key to the climate regulation role of forests, and the nitrogen (N) balance affects forest productivity, ground and surface water quality, and the emission of N2O. Humans have impacted the C and N balances, but quantification of the responses of forests to human activities is limited. This study aimed to quantify the impacts of the long-term national forest rehabilitation plan and the contribution of the increase in air temperature, CO2 concentration, and N deposition on the C and N balance of the South Korean forests during 1973–2020 by using a biogeochemical model. The C and N balance increased from 0.20 to 4.30 Mg C ha–1 year–1 and from 0.20 to 17.4 kg N ha-1 year-1, respectively. This led to the whole South Korean forests to newly store 825 Tg C and 3.04 Tg N after the national forest rehabilitation plan. The increase in air temperature, CO2 concentration, and N deposition contributed –11.5, 17.4, and 177 Tg C for the newly stored C stock, respectively, and –25.4, 8.90, and 1,807 Mg N for the newly stored N stock, respectively. This study would provide references on the benefits of forest rehabilitation for the C and N balance and for future forest rehabilitation efforts. Moreover, our findings improve the understanding of the impacts of human activities on the C and N balance. Keywords: Carbon, Nitrogen, South Korean forests, Climate change, Human impacts ID: 362295113 p.application/pdfNon-FAOArticle