Thinning Japanese cedar plantations helps restore forests by letting in more light for new tree growth. A study looked at how thinning affects the understory plants. They found that after thinning, there were fewer hardwood plants at first, but more after 5 years. This increase was mainly seen in fast-growing tree species. Thinning helps reset the understory community by increasing light levels, allowing pioneer tree species to grow. However, the abundance of hardwood plants before thinning can affect the growth of new tree species after thinning.