Moisture deficits are expected to become more common, resulting in increased mortality of young regeneration and mature trees in pine-oak barrens.

Heavy precipitation drains quickly due to the sandy soils of the coastal plain, and longer dry periods between events could increase the risk of moisture stress, which can be lethal to young regeneration of pitch pine and oaks. Adjacent oak-pine-hardwood forests serve as potential seed sources for pine-oak barrens, while the sandy, droughty soils discourage encroachment of mesic hardwood trees and associated understory communities.