[Objective] To clarify the relationship between stumping and soil moisture in degraded seabuckthorn forests, a systematic study is conducted to evaluate the effects of stumping on soil moisture dynamics, aiming to provide theoretical and technical support for the restoration of seabuckthorn forests through stumping in the Ningxia Loess area. [Methods] Two treatments were established: stumping（height≤30 cm） and no stumping, each with four replicates, arranged in a randomized block design. [Results] 1) The volumetric soil moisture content in the surface layer（0-20 cm） under the stumping treatment increased significantly by 4.10%-70.01%, compared to the no stumping treatment. In the shallow layer（20-80 cm）, it increased significantly by 8.99%-11.12%. In the middle layer（80-180 cm）, it increased significantly by 14.36%-28.97%. In the deep layer（180-280 cm）, it increased significantly by 5.48%-29.21%. 2) The soil water storage in the 0-280 cm profile under stumping significantly increased by 7.11%-22.90%, and the soil moisture deficit index significantly increased by 98.16%-300.00% compared to the no stumping treatment. 3) In the surface layer（0-20 cm）, total soil porosity under stumping significantly decreased by 1.90%, non-capillary porosity decreased by 44.84%, while capillary porosity increased by 1.18%. [Conclusion] Stumping of degraded seabuckthorn forests significantly enhances soil moisture content, water storage capacity, and capillary porosity, while reducing the soil moisture deficit.