My research evaluates the effectiveness of different herbicide and non-herbicide Vegetation Management (VM) strategies. Eight VM treatments are being evaluated at six sites in Washington State. These treatments included no-action control, pre and post-planting herbicide applications with and without glyphosate, mechanical harvest residue management, and manual hand weeding during the first growing season or the first two growing seasons. We are analyzing Douglas-fir seedling survival, growth, and physiology (including stomatal conductance and predawn and midday water potential), soil moisture availability, as well as early-seral vegetation abundance and diversity during two growing seasons after planting. This research aims to provide a better understanding of the effect of multiple VM alternatives on seedling growth conditions. Our goal is to inform public opinion and reforestation managers about the effectiveness of chemical and non-chemical VM alternatives for reforestation under water-limited conditions.