Abstract:0-10 cm soil samples were collected under three secondary forests in Dashanchong Forest Park in Hunan, the contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) were measured with different extraction agents. The results showed that: 1) DOC and WSOC contents were decreased significantly with the increase of soil depth. DOC content measured by cultivation-centrifugation method was the lowest (only 0.82 - 9.52 mg/kg), followed by WSOC content extracted by ultra-pure water in air-dried soils (10.56 - 249.19 mg/kg), WSOC contents extracted by K2SO4 in fresh and air-dried soils were the highest (155.70 - 576.94 mg/kg and 158.94 - 797.56 mg/kg, respectively). The average content was in the order of DOC < WSOC extracted by ultra-pure water in air-dried soils < WSOC extracted by K2SO4 in fresh soils < WSOC extracted by K2SO4 in air-dried soils. 2) Significant differences were found in soil DOC or WSOC contents under three forests, and both DOC and WSOC contents determined by different methods were in the order of coniferous forests < evergreen broad-leaved forests < deciduous forest. 3) Extremely significant positive correlation was found between DOC contents measured by the cultivation-centrifugation method and other methods (P<0.01). DOC or WSOC contents were extremely significantly correlated with soil organic carbon, humic acid, fulvic acid, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available N, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen and pH (P<0.01), and significantly correlated with soil bulk density and soil water content (P<0.05). DOC content measured by the cultivation-centrifugation method was far lower than WSOC content extracted by salt solution, however, it was closer to the actual value of in-situ measured soil dissolved organic carbon.