Assess graduate-level understanding of mechanisms controlling soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization and turnover in temperate forest ecosystems, including biochemical recalcitrance, mineral associations and sorption, aggregate and physical protection, microbial community dynamics and priming, root and litter inputs, and climate or disturbance controls; tasks will include explaining processes, interpreting common analytical results (fractionation, radiocarbon, incubations), and evaluating management implications for carbon cycling.