This study aimed to investigate the kinetics of organic carbon mineralization in a calcareous soil as affected by the initial chemistry of 17 forest plant residues. The relationship betwee C mineralization kinetic properties and nitrogen mineralization rates was also studied.. For this purpose, a composite soil sample was taken from garden topsoil (0 to 15 cm) located in Cham Ali Shah area, located on the lower terraces of Zayandeh Rood. In order to study the kinetics of carbon mineralization, an equivalent of 10 g kg -1 of organic carbon from the plant residues including Parotia persica, Ficus carica, Cornus australis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Alnus glutinosa, Zelkova carpinifolia, Diospyros sp., Acer velutinum, Quercus castanifolia, Populus caspica, Ulmus minor, Alnus subcordata, Crataegus aronia, Diospyros lotus, Parotia persica, Quercus brantii and Elaeagnus angustifolia leafs were added separately in triplicates to the soils and were incubated at 25 °C and 50% water holding capacity for 31 days. A control treatment (a soil incubated at similar condition except that no plant residue was amended) was also run.In a parallel experiment, soils amended with the plant residues as well as the control treatment were incubated at similar temperature and moisture conditions for 90 days. At the end of the incubation period, inorganic N was extracted by 2M KCl and N mineralization was calculated by subtracting the final inorganic N concentratio from the initial amounts.Carbon concentration in the plant residues ranged from 404 to 528 g kg-1 for Alnus subcordata and Crataegus aronia , respectively. The maximum (19.7 g kg -1 ) and minimum (7.7 g kg -1 ) amount of nitrogen were observed in Elaeagnus angustifolia Alnus glutinosa , respectively. The maximum amount of lignin was observed in Crataegus aronia (255.4 g kg -1 ) while the minimum amount of lignin was observed in Elaeagnus angustifolia (132.9 g kg -1 ). Cumulative carbon mineralized (C m ) during the 31 days of incubation, was conformed well toa first order kinetic representing an exponential increase in the amounts of cummulative CO 2 respired. At the end of the incubation period, Elaeagnus angustifolia revealed the maximum (5657 mg kg -1 ) whereas the control treatment possessed the minimum (975 mg/Kg), amount of cumulative carbon mineralized followed by Alnus glutinosa (1294 mg kg -1 ). Chemical and biochemical quality of the plant residues significantly influenced the rates of lant residues mineralization. Elaeagnus angustifolia treatment which contained the minimum amount of lignin (132.9 g kg -1 ) , carbon to nitrogen ratio (25.43) and lignin to nitrogen ratio (6.82) and also maximum amount of total nitrogen (19.7 mg/Kg), supported the maximum amounts of cumulative carbon mineralized (5657 mg kg). A significant positive correlation was observed between Cm and the plant residue organic carbon (r =0.43 P 0.05), total nitrogen (r =0.77 P 0.001) lignin (r = -0.87 P 0.001), carbon to nitrogen ratio (r = -0.65 P 0.001), and lignin to nitrogen ratio (r =-0.81 P 0.001). After fitting the data obtained from the cumulative carbon mineralization of CO 2 evolved at the end of incubation, with the first order kinetics, parameters of carbon mineralization potential (C 0 ) and the product of k and C 0 (kC 0 ) were calculated. It was observed that C 0 (r =0.95 P 0.001) is a better index than kC 0 (r =0.88 P 0.001) to anticipate cumulative inorganic carbon (C m ). Total nitrogen (r =0.92 P 0.001) and organic carbon (r =0.45 P 0.001) had positive correlation with nitrogen mineralization, however the amount of lignin (r =0.69 P 0.001), carbon to nitrogen ratio (r = -0.74 P 0.001)and lignin to nitrogen ratio (r = -0.88 P 0.001) wrer negatively correlated. Correlation of mineralized nitrogen with mineralized carbon was depended on incubation time So that the maximum correlation was observed at 6 days of incubation (r = -0.86 P 0.001) Keywords : carbon, nitrogen, plant residues, mineralization, chemical and biochemical characteristics, kinetic parameters.