When attempting to establish a new generation of trees, forest owners face two fundamental tasks that can become increasingly tricky: seedling release and pre-commercial thinning.

Seedlings planted after harvest face steep competition for light, nutrients, water, and space from each other, from native understory plants, and from invasive species. As a young stand ages, the trees can begin to compete with one another for the same limited resources. Landowners have a number of options for reducing competition for resources: stand release, when the plantation is young, or pre-commercial thinning, as the plantation ages.