The impacts of forest cutting upon understory vegetation were evaluated for Ozark oak-hickory and Appalachian oak-pine stands. These findings were related to similar information from other eastern forest types. Production of understory vegetation is related to stand type, stand structure, stand disturbance, and site. Stand type, structure, and site operate together to influence the understory of uncut stands. Cutting the stand increases the amount of understory vegetation, but this increase is regulated by site quality, stand type, and structure. Unless undetected changes are occurring in populations of endangered plant species, it seems that understory variety and production in managed even-age stands will not differ drastically from that in naturally occurring even-age stands.
