The halogens, most importantly fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, occur in nature as ions and compounds, including organic compounds. Halogenated organic substances (haloorganics) were long considered purely anthropogenic products; however, they are in addition a commonly occurring and important part of natural ecosystems. Natural haloorganics are produced largely by living organisms, although abiotic production occurs as well. A survey is given of processes of formation, transport, and degradation of haloorganics in temperate and boreal forests, predominantly in Europe. More work is necessary in order to understand the environmental impact of haloorganics in temperate and boreal forest soils. This includes both further research, especially to understand the key processes of formation and degradation of halogenated compounds, and monitoring of the substances in question in forest ecosystems. It is also important to understand the effect of various forest management techniques on haloorganics, as management can be used to produce desired effects.