The effect of vines on diameter growth of Liquidambarstyraciflua L. (sweetgum) in a 40-year-old abandoned field was measured by vine removal experiments. Removal of vines from the trunk, branches, and ground had a significant positive effect on growth during each of the 4 years of the study, but removal of vines from only the trunk and branches did not produce a significant increase in growth. The data suggest that vines influence forest production by competing with trees even after trces have grown tall enough to avoid direct physical suppression.
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Dennis F. Whigham (1984) studied this question.