In order to determine baseline levels of carbon storage in an ecosystem it is necessary to survey minimally disturbed areas. Few studies have examined ecosystem carbon storage for old-growth eastern deciduous forests. Soil sampling plots were stratified according to slope ( N = 3), aspect ( N = 2) and stand age ( N = 2) to investigate their effect on soil C variability in old (> 350 year-old) and adjacent second-growth (~ 60 year-old) oak-beech-maple stands in eastern Ohio. Aboveground biomass data in the old and adjacent second-growth stands were combined with the soil carbon and forest floor carbon data to produce an estimate of total forest system carbon. Total carbon stocks for the old-growth and second-growth stands (sums of above- and belowground data) were 257.4 and 220.9 Mg · ha ‾1 respectively. These data will be very useful in determining forest soil carbon stocks for young and old stands within the region.