We used a minirhizotron method to investigate spatial and temporal dynamics of fine roots (diameter < or =2 mm) in five Chinese temperate forests: Mongolian oak forest, aspen-birch forest, hardwood forest, Korean pine plantation and Dahurian larch plantation. Fine root dynamics were significantly influenced by forest type, soil layer, and sampling time. The grand mean values varied from 1.99 to 3.21 mm cm(-2) (root length per minirhizotron viewing area) for the fine root standing crop; from 6.7 to 11.6 microm cm(-2) day(-1) for the production; and from 3.2 to 6.1 microm cm(-2) day(-1) for the mortality. All forests had a similar seasonal "sinusoidal" pattern of standing crop, and a "unimodal" pattern of production. However, the seasonal dynamics of the mortality were largely unsynchronized with those of the production. The minimum values of standing crop, production and mortality occurred in March for all forests, whereas the maximum values and occurrence time differed among forest types. The standing crop, production and mortality tended to decrease with soil depth. The different spatiotemporal patterns of fine roots among the forests highlight the need for forest-specific measurements and modeling of fine root dynamics and forest carbon allocation.