The effects of shoot damage on starch concentrations in large roots and lower boles of the tropical timber tree, Cedrela odorata, were measured over a 30-day period following mechanical shoot removal. The degree of damage was based on amounts typically destroyed by Hypsipyla grandella, a serious lepidopteran pest of C. odorata. From 14-monthold plantations at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, three treatments were established based on the length of shoot and number of leaves removed: controls (no tissue removed), moderate damage, and severe damage. Initial starch concentrations were compared with concentrations observed 18 to 30 days following shoot removal using enzymatic starch hydrolysis and colorimetry. Root starch concentrations increased in undamaged trees, decreased slightly in the moderately damaged trees, and decreased markedly in severely damaged trees during the sampling period. Starch concentrations in lower boles did not decrease following shoot damage, suggesting a specific role of root starch reserves in responding to aboveground carbon requirements. The dry weights of regrown shoots were similar for the moderately and severely damaged trees, but severely damaged trees produced numerous basal shoots while moderately damaged trees produced only one or two terminal shoots near the point of excision. Decreases in root starch concentrations following shoot damage and rapid shoot regrowth suggest that starch remobilization in roots of C. odorata might provide a survival mechanism after attack by H. grandella.