Responses to most silvicultural practices result from their influence on the amount of resources potentially available for growth, the ability of crop trees to acquire those resources, and the distribution of resources among components of the population. We review several conceptual models useful in accounting for important tree- and stand-level responses to a variety of silvicultural treatments. These conceptualizations of stand dynamics and production ecology do not directly associate growth response to resources, such as water and nutrients; but they facilitate the use of leaf area as an integrator of the ecological processes being silviculturally manipulated. We discuss several common silvicultural practices, including early competition control, soil manipulation, thinning, and fertilization, in the context of their influence on the amount, distribution, and net efficiency of leaf area.