Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) are key storage molecules that can be used for tree growth and metabolism. The trade-off between NSC storage and biomass production has been long reported on. However, the carbon source limitation (indicated by NSC storage) to biomass production remains poorly quantitively assessed. The seasonal whole-tree NSC pool dynamics of 12 temperate tree species were quantitatively evaluated across seven seasonal sampling points. The ratio of seasonal variation in whole-tree NSC pool to annual biomass increment (the ΔNSC/ABI ratio) and the linear relationship of annual biomass increment to NSC storage were used to assess the coupling of NSC storage to annual biomass production. Whole-tree NSC pools were consumed in early summer when structural growth peaked and recovered in the nongrowing season, indicating a short-term trade-off between storage and growth. The ΔNSC/ABI ratio was on average 0.59, with a large interspecific variation. Notably, there was a significant positive correlation between the storage of NSC and the 10 yr mean annual biomass increment, indicating a storage–growth coupling and the source limitation of growth in the long term. However, the storage cost of biomass production decreased along the slow-growth-to-fast-growth species continuum, mirroring the spectrum from conservative to acquisitive NSC use strategies. These findings highlight the critical role of time scale in understanding the relationship between storage and growth, which should be considered in the framework of simulation and conceptual models.

The construction of sports spaces such as ski resorts leads to deforestation, soil degradation and carbon (C) loss. However, the impact of ski pistes on soil C and nutrients remains unclear. The impact of an 18-year-old ski piste operation on the stock and stoichiometry of soil C, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), bulk density, and water content across a 0–100 cm profile in a forest area in Northeast China was quantitatively assessed using the equivalent soil mass method and fixed depth method. The fixed depth method overestimated soil C, N and P stocks of the SP by 5% to 8% of 0–100 cm stocks of soil C and nutrients relative to the equivalent soil mass method used as a reference. The equivalent soil mass method demonstrated that the ski piste soil C, N, and P stocks were significantly reduced by 27.4%, 21.3%, and 27.5%, respectively, in comparison to the undisturbed forest. Surface layers (0–10 cm) exhibited the highest C and N losses, while deep soil (>50 cm) showed significant C, N and P depletion. The ski piste significantly reduced surface C:N (15.8%) and C:P (38.0%) ratios, indicating decoupled nutrient constraints on C loss. Soil compaction increased bulk density in surface layers (0–10 cm) but reduced it in deeper strata, correlating with altered C physical interdependencies. The findings highlight the vertical stratification of disturbance effects, emphasizing the critical role of stoichiometric controls and methodological considerations in assessing anthropogenic impacts on soil ecosystems. These insights are vital for the sustainable management of ski resorts to mitigate soil degradation.