The paper describes a 7-year study in the coastal plain of North Carolina integrating common cultural methods with dollar costs and percent increase in natural loblolly pine stocking. On heavy textured soils, neither burning nor disking can be economically justified. On light textured soils, site preparation is often economically justified because predicted stocking with hardwood control and no site preparation is often below 60 percent, and reduced growth is expected. On these soils, controlled burning and disking increase stocking in similar amounts within a wide range of seeding, but burning is a less costly operation. In regenerated stands that are medium to well-stocked, the removal of 20 square feet of hardwoods per acre is a recommended treatment to increase free-to-grow stocking and early pine growth.© Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, MD. Abstract reproduced by permission.