A study in Idaho's moist forests looked at the effects of thinning trees at different intensities over 50 years. Thinning reduced tree density but helped remaining trees grow better. Shade-tolerant trees thrived after thinning, even 50 years later. Unthinned areas had more tree volume than thinned areas. Understory plants increased right after thinning but decreased after 50 years. The forests ended up with multiple layers of trees, mostly shade-tolerant ones. This shows that favoring shade-tolerant trees in these forests has a bigger impact on forest structure than on timber production.