To investigate the effects of litter input on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools in subtropical coniferous and broad-leaved forests, a field experiment combined with laboratory incubation was conducted in a Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation (coniferous forest, CF) and a Cinnamomum chekiangense natural forest (broad-leaved forest, BF), in which three treatments were established: no litter removal (CK), removal of fresh leaf litter (R1), and removal of both fresh leaf litter and roots (R2). The results showed that, litter removal significantly reduced soil total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents in both forests. Soil C pool in CF was more sensitive to leaf litter removal, with the reduction in TC being 10.47% greater in R1 than in R2. In contrast, soil N pool in BF was more sensitive to root removal, where the reduction in TN was 7.71% greater than in R1. Laboratory incubation revealed a higher potential for C mineralization in BF than in CF. Litter removal differentially influenced C mineralization processes, in CF, cumulative CO₂ emissions in R1 and R2 increased by 32.42% and 46.46%, respectively, compared to CK, whereas in BF, they decreased by 20.08% and 6.11%, respectively. For N mineralization, the rate followed the order R2>R1>CK in CF, where both the content and proportion of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) were highest under CK. In BF, N mineralization rate followed CK>R1>R2; however, the proportion of DON in total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) was highest under R2, and DON content in R1 and R2 increased significantly by 23.36% and 78.07%, respectively, compared to CK. This study indicated that forest management should prioritize leaf litter return in CF to maintain soil C pool, and root protection in BF to enhance N retention.