Forest ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, and may help reduce atmospheric concentrations of CO₂. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a dominant tree species in Wyoming and a primary source for the timber market. It is therefore necessary to evaluate present forest management practices for their ability to increase C sequestration potentials. Four ponderosa pine stands (unmanaged, even-aged, uneven-aged, and heavy harvest) management practices were evaluated for total C pools, soil organic C pools (active, slow, and resistant), and soil microbial abundance. The total aboveground ecosystem C pool of the unmanaged stand (121 Mg C ha^-1) was higher than the managed stands. A significant difference in soil organic C was determined within the 5-15 cm soil depth. The heavy harvest stand had higher soil organic C (26.1 Mg C ha^-1) than even-aged (19.9 Mg C ha^-1) and unmanaged (20.2 Mg C ha^-1) stands. Uneven-aged and heavy harvest management stands had higher resistant C pool. Gram positive bacteria and total fungi populations were significantly higher in unmanaged soils of 0-5 cm depth than in the uneven-aged and heavy harvest managed stands. Gram negative bacteria populations were higher in soils of the heavy harvest stand than either the unmanaged or even-aged stands at the 5-15 cm soil depth. From this study, it can be concluded that forest management practices have the potential to alter ecosystem C pools and processes within a ponderosa pine forest of Wyoming.