Abstract The effects on soil of canopy and roots of coppiced teak ( Tectona grandis L.f.) regrowth in a maize-teak mixture were investigated experimentally by trenching and coppice shoot control. Nitrogen, potassium, magnesium and calcium content of soil were not significantly affected by either treatment throughout the first season of cropping the soil with maize. It is suggested that soil nutrient changes due to canopy or surface roots of coppiced teak regrowth are probably too small to influence the performance of intercropped maize in the first season following coppicing.