The investigation of the impact of Cupressus funebris forests of varying ages on soil physicochemical properties and plant diversity in limestone mountainous regions is of paramount importance for vegetation restoration in fragile ecosystems within rocky desertification zones.Focusing on Cupressus funebris forests in the limestone mountainous areas of Fuyang District,Hangzhou City,Zhejiang Province,China,this study categorized the forests into control(limestone non-stocked land),young forests,middle-aged forests,and near-mature forests.Employing the space-for-time substitution method,along with Pearson correlation analysis and Redundancy Analysis(RDA),the study explored the influence of Cupressus funebris forests of different ages on soil physicochemical properties and plant diversity in limestone mountainous regions.1)The soil bulk density of Cupressus funebris forests of all ages was lower than that of non-stocked land,whereas the maximum water-holding capacity,capillary water-holding capacity,minimum water-holding capacity,and moisture content of the soil,were higher.Among them,middle-aged forests had the lowest soil bulk density and the highest water-holding capacity,while young forests had the highest moisture content.2)The soil organic carbon,total nitrogen,and hydrolyzable nitrogen contents of Cupressus funebris forests of different ages were higher than those of non-stocked land,with middle-aged forests exhibiting the highest contents.3)The species richness of Cupressus funebris forests of all ages was higher than that of non-stocked land.Middle-aged forests exhibited the greatest species richness in both tree and herb layers,whereas young forests showed the greatest richness in the shrub layer.The Simpson dominance index of Cupressus funebris forests of all ages was higher than that of non-stocked land,and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index of young and middle-aged forests was significantly higher than that of non-stocked land.4)Correlation analysis and RDA indicated that pH was the primary factor influencing soil physicochemical properties and plant diversity in the region,followed by water-holding capacity,bulk density,moisture content,total phosphorus,and hydrolyzable nitrogen.In summary,the soil physicochemical properties and plant diversity of Cupressus funebris forests in limestone mountainous regions were significantly superior to those of non-stocked land,with middle-aged forests demonstrating the best overall performance.Cupressus funebris had a significant effect on improving soil in limestone mountainous regions,with effects varying by forest age.