Across the eastern United States several trends are altering the composition of forest. One important trend is that of oaks (Quercus spp.) being lost and oak-dominated forests gradually shifting to other species compositions. One leading hypothesis for the recent demise of oaks is the process of mesophication, by which, largely due to fire suppression, fire-adapted species and plant communities are being replaced by more mesophytic species/community types. Recent work has suggested the mesophication process is a feedback loop, and mesophytic species create microclimates and fuel beds that are less likely to burn, thereby further enhancing the effects of the mesophication process and allowing mesophytic species to further dominate. Most studies detailing mesophication have taken place in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Cumberland Plateau areas of the eastern United States, with very few providing evidence within the Southeastern Piedmont. Utilizing a newly established 12 ha forest dynamics plot in Athens, Georgia, USA, we provide evidence that the mesophication process is taking place in a mixed pine-hardwood Southeastern Piedmont Forest. Within the study site oaks represented 1% of saplings, while mesophytic species accounted for 96% of saplings. Conversely, oaks accounted for 47% of stems in the overstory, while mesophytic species represented 31% of stems in the overstory. The data suggest an “oak bottleneck,” a phenomenon closely associated with mesophication. This work informs long-term land management decision making regarding mixed pine-oak stands for both conservationists and the forest industry.