Screening highly efficient composite fermentation inoculants can enhance the lignin degradation efficiency of forestry waste,effectively resolving challenges such as recalcitrant degradation and prolonged composting cycles.A 45-day aerobic composting experiment was conducted to analyze the effects of 4 inoculants-Beijia Organic Fertilizer Ferment (T1),Henan Nongfukang EM Inoculant (T2),S4 Mixed Inoculant (T3),and Organic Material Decomposer (T4)- on the composting process,product quality,and the growth of Liquidambar formosana seedlings,with an uninoculated treatment serving as the control (CK).The results showed that:1) Compared with the control,all 4 inoculants significantly accelerated the temperature escalation during composting.Among them,T1 exhibited the most rapid temperature increase,entering the thermophilic phase (>50 ℃) on day 3,and maintained the highest average temperature (57.12 ℃) during the thermophilic stage.2) Upon completion of composting,T1 achieved the maximum lignin degradation rate (43.68%),T2 had the highest cellulose degradation rate (42.29%),and T3 ranked second in both (38.32% and 42.17%,respectively).T1 and T2 exhibited the most substantial increments in organic carbon degradation rate and total nitrogen,phosphorus,and potassium contents.3) The compost substrate subjected to the T1 treatment yielded the highest seed germination index (49.35%),microbial biomass carbon,microbial biomass nitrogen,and dehydrogenase activity,signifying the optimal degree of maturity and the lowest biological toxicity.4) Pot experiments showed that,compared with peat,the substrate prepared with T1 compost significantly increased the total biomass of Liquidambar formosana seedlings by 147.48%-192.31% and the seedling quality index by 96.90%.T2 and T3 also significantly promoted the growth of Liquidambar formosana.The S4 mixed inoculant performed optimally in accelerating the maturation of forestry wastes,improving compost quality,and enhancing seeding growth.This study provides cost-effective and highly efficient inoculant alternatives for the resource utilization of forestry wastes.