Forest soil in a raised garden bed

I recently set up two two-foot high raised garden beds. I have layers of woody materials and other plant matter at the bottom of the beds, and am going to top those off with wood chips. I have some forest acreage as well. For the top soil level of the beds, can I use forest soil?

This thread might give you some ideas and insights.

I don't think utilizing soil from your own forest is bad, but it is key to make sure you do it in the least invasive way possible in my mind. The plants/trees/critters need that soil in their environment to continue to live successfully. Taking some will minimize disturbance but you don't want to leave a big hole somewhere that could lead to unintended consequences. Pull back the mulch layer, remove some black gold, then gently replace the mulch layer to chew down into the future.

When we made our raised bed we took some big black trash bags, a shovel, and a rack in search of clusters of trees in the shade.

Then we racked back the leaves and harvested the rich dark soil beneath.  we called that leaf mold.

Why not use Mother Nature's compost?

Anything is possible but consequences can bite you in the @$$.

“Forest products” is a key ingredient in commercial soils, so you’re on the right track. But do you want to fight established roots and debris like stones and sticks, and leave a depression behind?

Personally I evaluate things in terms of how much time and effort I’ll be saving so I can move on to my next quest.

Gabriel, we did the exact thing you are planning. The area around our house had been stripped of topsoil for construction and the topsoil mounded nearby. We started building beds with logs, local mullein for green biomass, wood chips, branches, and topped it all off with a few inches of soil from the mounds. The beds are very productive even though all of the trees are conifers.

As others have pointed out, taking from the forest should be done responsibly, but we haven't seen any issues with using forest soil.