Abstract In selected stands in southern Missouri, weekly diameter growth of individual shortleaf pine ( Pinus echinata Mill.) trees was closely correlated with rainfall and soil moisture pattern, especially in the stands where soil moisture competition was greatest. Diameter growth began about mid-April in thinned stands, but was delayed several weeks in unthinned stands. Faster growth rates, more weeks of growth, and less shrinkage during dry periods characterized the growth curves for trees in thinned stands and stands without understory hardwoods. The pine growth response to thinning and removal of understory hardwoods resulted from improved soil moisture regimes within these stands.
Phares et al. (Mon,) studied this question.