In a silvopastoral system competition between trees and understory vegetation will most likely occur for the limited available resources such as moisture and nutrients. For this reason a good understanding about the changes that occur within the soils is very important in monitoring the interactions between tree and understory pastures. This paper presents information on the moisture content and organic matter content of the soils under thinned loblolly pines and an area of open sunlight. Prior to seeding of Tifton-9 seeds, samples were taken from soils in a thinned loblolly pine tree area and an open unshaded plot. Twenty samples per acre were taken and analyzed for organic matter content (loss and ignition) and moisture content (wet weight basis). Pre-forage establishment results revealed that average moisture content was 10.44% in the shaded area and 8.02% in the full sunlight area. The average organic matter was 3.06% in the shaded area while it was 2.08% in open sunlight area.The results indicated that the trees provided shade for the soil thereby reducing evaporation hence more soil moisture availability which will be useful for the forage that will be cultivated under the trees for animal grazing. Organic matter was also more available in the soil under the shaded area compared to the unshaded area. Implications of these preliminary results in North Florida would suggest the potentail beneficial effects of tree: pasture systems for soil management.