Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition increases soil nutrients available for plants, change chemical quality of the substrates, as well as composition and function of the soil microorganisms, thereby affecting storage and stability of the soil organic matter (SOM) in forest soils. However, the studies reported in the literature focused mainly on effects of N enrichment on carbon (C) sequestration in natural forest ecosystems, with little eyesight on effects of P enrichment and interaction of N and P on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration of in artificial forests as well as their microbiological mechanisms. In this paper, a review is presented of effects of N and P enrichment on C transformation and net C exchange fluxes, priming effect of SOM, chemical composition and stability of SOM, and composition and functions of microbial communities mediating C turunover in forest soils; moreover, the authors also shed light on deficiencies in the present researches, as follows. (1) Nonlinear response equations of soil C flux and its components in response to N and P enrichment in forest soils as well as their critical thresholds have not yet been determined; (2) Little is known about effects of N and P enrichment on priming effect of SOM in forest ecosystems and microbial mechanisms; (3) In-depth researches on mechanism of the physicochemical synergic stabilization of SOM under N and P enrichment are far from sufficient; and (4) It is still unclear how composition of soil active microbial community and SOM chemical structure is related to SOC accumulation. Therefore, the authors hold that future researches should foucs on the following aspects: Based on the established multi-level N and P addition and ~(13)C-labeled incubation experiments, effects of N and P addition and their interaction on soil C emission and loss fluxes, microbial priming effect, composition and chemical stability of SOM, and functional microbial community composition are to be determined using the techniques of in-situ monitoring, soil chemistry (~(13)C-NMR and Py-GC/MS), and macrogenomics of molecular biology, etc. Besides, more efforts should be laid on (1) defining the nonlinear equations for responses of soil C emission and loss to N and P addition as well as critical loads of atmospheric N and P depositions; (2) elucidating coupling relationships between composition of the soil decomposing microbial community and SOC transformation and stability; and (3) exposing microbial mechanisms responsible for the effects of N and P interaction on soil C accumulation and depletion in forest ecosystems, especially in subtropical plantations. All the findings in this review will help control C losses from forest soils, reduce uncertainties in assessing N promoted C sink" in terrestrial ecosystems, and hence provide a scientific basis for subtropical plantations or forest ecosystems to deal with global change.