Soil CO₂ flux at different depths is an important means of researching the soil carbon dynamics. At present, the impacts of clear-cutting and slash burning on forest soil carbon emissions focus on surface soil, while their impacts on soil carbon emissions at different depths are not well known. In this study, CO₂ flux along a soil profile (0-80 cm) was measured in an uncut secondary Castanopsis carlesii forest (CT) and a clear-cut, slash burnt (SB) stand of Castanopsis carlesii located in Sanming, Fujian. A scattered infrared CO₂ detector was used to measure soil CO₂ concentration, combined with Fick's laws of diffusion to estimate soil CO₂ flux at different depths. Results showed that, (1) SB changed the apparent CO₂ flux significantly. Within two months after SB, the soil surface CO₂ flux increased by 68%. However, the soil surface CO₂ flux decreased by 37% two months later. (2) After SB, soil CO₂ fluxes at depths of 0-10, 20-40, 40-60 cm and 60-80 cm decreased with the exception of an increase at a depth of 10-20 cm. In the meantime, SB decreased the contribution rate of CO₂ flux in the 0-10 cm soil layer, and increased the contribution rate of CO₂ flux in the 10-20 cm soil layer. (3) There was an exponential relationship between soil CO₂ flux at 0-10 cm and temperature, and the soil CO₂ fluxes at other soil depths were linearly correlated with soil moisture in the control plot. After SB, soil CO₂ fluxes at depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm were exponentially correlated with soil temperature, which illustrated that SB changed the soil CO₂ flux response at different depths due to environmental factors. Thus, in order to estimate and predict the impact of clear-cutting and SB on carbon exchange between soil and the atmosphere accurately, it is necessary to consider the changes in soil CO₂ flux during different periods after SB and the response of soil CO₂ flux to SB at different depths.