Many dominant species in oak-pine forests are projected to remain stable or increase, including many oaks (black, chestnut, northern red, scarlet, and white), pines (pitch, shortleaf, and Virginia), American chestnut, and mockernut and pignut hickory.

Multiple forest impact models tend to agree that these species are likely to increase in suitable habitat and biomass under a range of future climate scenarios. Species projected to increase include American chestnut, black oak, chestnut oak, mockernut hickory, northern red oak, pignut hickory, pitch pine, scarlet oak, shortleaf pine, Virginia pine, and white oak. These species all tolerate relatively warm and dry conditions, however, extremes in heat or drought may exceed even the tolerances of pines and oaks.