Abstract:Elevated nitrogen deposition has the effects on the activities of enzymes responsible for decomposition of forest litter, which has attracted great attention worldwide. Progress in this field is reviewed in following aspects： the types of the enzymes, the factors affecting the enzymes, the ecological significance of the enzymes and the techniques for the studies on soil enzymes. According to the properties of litter substrate, the enzymes are classified into cellulolytic enzymes, ligninolytic enzymes, proteolytic enzymes and phosphatase. It is generally believed that elevated nitrogen deposition has a positive effect on activity for phosphatase, but irregular for other enzymes. The further researches on the relationship between elevated nitrogen deposition and soil enzymes are discussed.