Now let the cleared field stand for many years. At first the field will be colonized by weedy species of plants specializing in finding disturbed areas and reproducing rapidly. In turn the field will be invaded by the first of the trees. The pioneering trees are commonly Eastern Red Cedar, possibly pines, and shruby trees such as Hawthorn and Serviceberry. At first these small trees will be scattered throughout the field, but later the trees will dominate the perennial plants.
Light is reduced at the soil surface and the soil becomes better able to retain water.
Soil nitrogen and organic matter increases. Other trees begin to colonize, typically species of birch and cherry and young individuals of the forest that will eventually result from succession. Among this tangle of young trees appear the young seedlings of the trees of the final forest. These longer lived trees such as Beech, Oak, and Maple grow best under wooded conditions of decreasing light and increased soil moisture and nutrients. The forest eventually becomes open underneath dominated by large, tall trees.