**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OUR OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR A NOVEL SILVICULTURAL SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES THE SUCCESSIONAL TRANSITION FROM RED PINE PLANTATION TO OAK-DOMINATED STANDS IN THE LAKE STATES REGION. OAKS ARE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE REGIONAL FORESTS, BUT THEIR DOMINANCE HAS DECLINED PARTLY DUE TO POOR REGENERATION UNDER SEED TREES. INTERESTINGLY, OAK REGENERATION SUCCESS HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN ADJACENT RED PINE PLANTATIONS. THE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS PHENOMENON CAN HELP US DEVELOP A NOVEL SILVICULTURAL SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES THE GRADUAL PINE-TO-OAK SUCCESSIONAL TRANSITION, WHICH HAS ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMICAL MERITS UNDER PREDICTED WARMER CONDITIONS OF THE FUTURE: THE LAKE STATES CURRENTLY SUPPORT THE SOUTHERNMOST AND NORTHERNMOST DISTRIBUTIONS OF RED PINE AND OAKS, RESPECTIVELY, SUGGESTING THAT OAKS WILL PERFORM BETTER THAN RED PINE IN THE FUTURE.OUR PROPOSED STUDY HAS THREE COMPONENTS: 1) INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO GREATER OAK SEEDLING SUCCESS UNDER RED PINE THAN OAK; 2) SIMULATE STAND DEVELOPMENT AND TIMBER-PRODUCT YIELDS UNDER DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT AND FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS AND EVALUATE THE TRADEOFFS; AND 3) DEVELOP SILVICULTURAL GUIDELINES. THE FIRST COMPONENT WILL BE ACHIEVED BY INVESTIGATING BIOTIC (E.G. PLANT-SOIL FEEDBACK) AND ABIOTIC (E.G. SOIL TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE) FACTORS IN FIELD AND GREENHOUSE EXPERIMENTS. THE SECOND COMPONENT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY RUNNING SIMULATION MODELS. THE THIRD COMPONENT WILL BE ACHIEVED BASED ON THE TWO FINDINGS. WE AIM TO ACCOMPLISH 1) ADVANCE IN SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF PROCESSES, AND 2) DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WITH A FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND PROCESSES.ULTIMATELY, OUR PROJECT CAN HELP LAND MANAGERS AND OWNERS CREATE HEALTHY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN THE LAKE STATES IN THE FUTURE.