The International Symposium on Forest Soils: Linking Ecosystem Processes and Management to Forest Biodiversity and Functions (ISFS 2013) will be held on September 16-20, 2013 in Shenyang, China. The major objective of this symposium is to facilitate the development of international links, scientific exchanges and strategic alliances in forest soils and ecosystem processes, leading to fully realised, collaborative research programmes that face the realities of the effects of local management and climate change on forest ecosystem productivity, biodiversity and functions. The themes of this symposium will examine: (1) innovative techniques used to simulate and monitor the effects of local management and climate change; (2) advances and novel approaches in research technologies; and (3) application and monitoring of these developments at local, national and global levels. Most importantly, this symposium will promote the development of effective networks and strategies within the research community: linking ecosystem processes and management to forest biodiversity and functions, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation at both local and global scales.