Regeneration of vegetation was by woody sprouts, ferns and graminoids during the first 6 yr on 3 clearcut sites and 1 plane wreck site which had suffered breakage and burning in an elfin woodland. The abundance of the latter two and the scarcity of seedlings are atypical of tropical successions on nondegraded soils at lower elevations. Ferns favored by the abundance of moisture and graminoids by low competition, while the scarcity of seedlings reflect inefficient dispersal, washout by torrential rains, or low selective pressure for colonizing ability in an infrequently disturbed vegetation type. All aspects of regeneration were slow, suggesting a high stress environment. A major cause of stress is low transpiration in a saturated atmosphere, impeding nutrient distribution within plants. Temperatures do not become low enough to retard growth and superficial root systems fix plants to the saturated soil. The space needed by these superficial systems could hinder coverage of the ground.