Afforestation is presented as a nature-based approach for climate change mitigation. However, the hydrologic response to afforestation remains poorly understood, particularly for understudied humid, snow-dominated landscapes. Microclimate is a critical component of the water balance and can be substantially altered by land cover changes, such as afforestation. In this study, we monitored below-canopy microclimate (net radiation, air temperature, humidity, and wind speed) in six plots within a research site located 80 km east of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario: four afforested stands (19-year white spruce (Picea glauca), 29-year white spruce, 21-year red pine (Pinus resinosa), 27-year red pine), a natural mixedwood stand, and an open pasture. We hypothesized that microclimate would be more stable in forested stands relative to the open pasture, and that this moderating influence would increase with stand age and canopy closure. Our results generally conformed with our hypotheses, with more stable conditions observed in the forested stands compared to the pasture. Variability in microclimate generally decreased with increased canopy cover; however, air temperature, and to a lesser degree humidity and net radiation, measured in the 19-year white spruce stand was more similar to the open pasture than the other forested stands. Our findings highlight differences in below-canopy microclimate that have the potential to alter plot-scale water balances of the afforested stands relative to open pasture and natural forests.