Despite the difficulty in predicting species replacement patterns, the study hypothesizes that there is a sequence of events and processes that occurs during secondary succession, regardless of the species composition. This sequence begins with initial site colonization, progresses through canopy closure, recovery of species richness, increases in basal area and biomass, and ends with a return to a species composition similar to old-growth conditions. During early stages of succession, factors governing site colonization (e.g., seed dispersal, biophysical characteristics, and remnant vegetation) are very important. After canopy closure, nutrient cycling rates and productivity tend to be high, until biomass and basal area begin to level off, but not reach old-growth conditions. After natural gap formation starts in the forest, long-lived pioneers dominate the canopy, the appearance of very large trees leads to aboveground biomass values similar to old-growth conditions, and productivity tends to asymptote. It hypothesizes that this sequence of events occurs in all successions, and suggest that many forest functions and characteristics may resemble old-growth conditions long before species composition does. This hypothesis raises many questions such as the length of time it takes for a forest to return to previous rates of desired ecosystem services, and how these rates are affected by past land use history, environmental conditions, and present management practices. These questions are important not only for those trying to restore tropical forests but also for those interested in production purposes.