Bacteria from forest soils were characterized by DNA sequence analysis of cloned 16S rRNA gene fragments (16S clones). Surface organic matter and mineral soil samples from a British Columbia Ministry of Forests Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) installation were collected during winter and summer from two disturbance treatments: whole-tree harvesting with no soil compaction (plot N) and whole-tree harvesting plus complete surface organic matter removal with heavy soil compaction (plot S). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 87% of 580 16S clones were classified as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacterium, Verrucomicrobia, Bacillus/Clostridium group, Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides group, green nonsulfur bacteria, Planctomyces, and candidate divisions TM6 and OP10. Seventy-five 16S clones could not be classified into known bacterial divisions, and five 16S clones were related to chloroplast DNA. Members of Proteobacteria represented 46% of the clone library. A higher proportion of 16S clones affiliated with y-Proteobacteria were from plot N compared with plot S. 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified with Pseudomonas-specific primers and cloned (Ps clones) were examined from mineral-soil samples from plots N and S from three LTSP installations. A significantly greater proportion of sequenced Ps clones from plot N contained Pseudomonas 16S rRNA gene fragments compared with Ps clones from plot S.