The Loess Plateau has always been one of the most serious soil erosion and environmental problems regions in China. Artificial vegetation restoration can effectively improve soil properties and soil quality

therefore clarifying the responses of soil moisture and nutrient properties to long-term artificial vegetation restoration is conducive to further effectively improving the eco-environment. This study selected three typical vegetation types

including natural restoration secondary forest land

artificial Robinia pseudoacacia forest land and artificial Pinus tabulaeformis forest land

during ecological restoration in the loess region of western Shanxi. By measuring soil physical properties

soil moisture contents and soil nutrients such as organic carbon

nitrogen

phosphorus and potassium contents

the differences under the long-term artificial vegetation restorations were comparatively analyzed. The results showed that:(1) The soil bulk density of secondary forest land

Robinia pseudoacacia forest land and Pinus tabulaeformis forest land in 0-20 cm shallow layer was 1.15

1.04 and 1.06 g/cm3

respectively. The soil bulk density increased with the increase of soil depth. (2) The soil moisture of secondary forest land in shallow layer was better than those of Robinia pseudoacacia forest land and Pinus tabulaeformis forest land. When soil moisture consumption period (before the start of growth season) transited to the accumulation period (at the beginning of the growth season)

the dynamic variations of soil moisture in secondary forest land were more dramatic. (3) The soil carbon storage in secondary forest land was higher

while the soil nitrogen and phosphorus storage in Pinus tabulaeformis forest land was higher. The vertical variations of soil nutrients of the three forest lands had significant differences with accumulation in surface layer. The contents of organic carbon

total nitrogen

total phosphorus

available nitrogen and available potassium all decreased with the increase of soil depth

while the contents of available phosphorus increased first and then decreased. Considering the soil moisture and nutrient condition

it was suggested that the secondary forest should be mainly conserved in the process of vegetation restoration to achieve the better water and carbon storage and other ecological benefits

which would be conducive to the optimization of stand management

and the promotion of vegetation restoration and ecological construction in the western Shanxi loess region.