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Tree height development has been studied extensively. Nonetheless, there is limited quantitative guidance for height expectations during the regeneration period, particularly for common species with low commercial value. Site index models, for example, often omit the initial 15–20 years of development. We examined height development of juvenile trees during the first twenty years after overstory removal in naturally regenerated, mixed stands in the Missouri Ozarks to identify milestones indicative of eventual recruitment into the upper canopy by the end of the regeneration period. Such milestones quantify minimum height requirements for recruitment success from trees that occupied codominant and dominant crown classes at the end of the regeneration period. Results show these milestones differed statistically by site class and those differences increased over time. Species-specific milestones were similar and …