The effect of tree climbing lianas on tree seedlings of Clarisia ilicifolia and Astronium fraxinifolium in a lowland liana forest in Bolivia was investigated. Analysis involved estimation of gravimetric soil water content and canopy openness after liana cutting. Lianas differentially hindered seedlings of both tree species, and this hindrance may in turn shift the balance in competitive interactions between seedlings. Thus, lianas may influence tree regeneration.