The decreased ability of northern red oak (Quercus rubra) to regenerate throughout its range in the eastern United States has important ecological and economic implications. We studied regeneration of northern red oak in oak and pine stands on moderately productive sites in northern Lower Michigan. Our objectives were (1) to investigate the hypothesis that regeneration of northern red oak is more successful in pine than in oak stands and (2) to test whether removal of potential overstory and understory competitors increases regeneration success on moderately productive sites.

Northern red oak acorns and 2‐yr‐old nursery seedlings were planted in spring 1991 in three natural oak stands and three red pine (Pinus resinosa) plantations on comparable, moderately productive sites. Each stand contained four canopy cover treatments: clearcut, 25% cover (50% the first year), 75% cover, and uncut. Each canopy cover treatment contained four understory treatments: herb‐layer removal, shrub‐layer removal, litter removal, and control. Seedling survival, performance, and damage due to deer and late spring frosts were quantified along with vegetation characteristics, light, soil moisture, air temperature, soil temperature, and precipitation during the 1991 and 1992 growing seasons.