Greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from forests, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), are regulated by complex interactions of abiotic and biotic factors. A better understanding of these interactions involving GHGs can help manage forests and enhance their sequestration potential. This review examines how soil properties (moisture, temperature, and pH) and tree species-specific traits (litter quality, carbon storage, and microbial regulation) interactively control GHG dynamics in temperate forest soils, moving beyond a single-factor perspective. This literature review confirms that temperate forest soils are CH₄ sinks and sources of CO₂ and N₂O; however, flux direction and magnitude differ across spatial and temporal scales. CH₄ fluxes show high spatial variability and are sensitive to biogeochemical conditions. While soil temperature and moisture are well studied, their combined effects with site-specific variables such as substrate availability, soil texture, and canopy structure remain underexplored. Tree litter plays a dual role: chemically influencing microbial physiological/functional traits through priming, thereby affecting CO₂ and N₂O, and physically limiting CH₄ diffusion. These mechanisms collectively determine whether soils act as GHG sources or sinks, and future research should account for how litter priming may override their carbon sink function while integrating site-specific factors to improve GHG predictions and forest management.

Climate change intensifies temperature extremes and drought frequency. However, the interactive effects of warming and drought on soil carbon fluxes remain poorly understood, particularly during extreme temperature events and across plant species. We conducted a factorial experiment examining warming (+3 and +5 °C) and drought effects on soil CO₂ emissions and CH₄ uptake in one-year-old Quercus variabilis Blume and Quercus acutissima Carruth seedlings during three successive warming periods (period 1, 2–12 July; period 2, 19–30 July; and period 3, 7–18 August 2024). In both species, warming initially increased CO₂ emissions by 23%–26% and subsequently reduced them by 26%–37% during period 2 (coinciding with the rainy season), highlighting critical temperature-moisture interactions. Drought reduced CO₂ emissions by 12%–36%. CO₂ emissions were positively correlated with soil moisture (r = 0.45–0.56). In Q. variabilis, warming initially reduced CH₄ uptake at +5 °C; however, during period 3, uptake increased by 44.5% and 24.8% under +3 and +5 °C treatments, respectively, while the drought treatment reduced CH₄ uptake by 11.7%. Contrarily, Q. acutissima showed no warming or drought treatment effects. These findings demonstrate that soil carbon flux responses to extreme climate conditions exhibit nonlinearity and are affected by soil moisture and species type.