diff --git a/components/elm/src/biogeochem/VegStructUpdateMod.F90 b/components/elm/src/biogeochem/VegStructUpdateMod.F90
index f108fa76cc9b..279ecb306b81 100644
--- a/components/elm/src/biogeochem/VegStructUpdateMod.F90
+++ b/components/elm/src/biogeochem/VegStructUpdateMod.F90
@@ -161,11 +161,11 @@ subroutine VegStructUpdate(num_soilp, filter_soilp, &
                ! taper and stocking density can be set as input variables now to
                ! change from default values set in pftvarcon.F90
                if (spinup_state >= 1) then
-                 htop(p) = ((3._r8 * deadstemc(p) * spinup_mortality_factor * taper(p) * taper(p))/ &
-                      (SHR_CONST_PI * stocking(p) * dwood(ivt(p))))**(1._r8/3._r8)
+                 htop(p) = ((3._r8 * deadstemc(p) * spinup_mortality_factor * taper(ivt(p)) * taper(ivt(p)))/ &
+                      (SHR_CONST_PI * stocking(ivt(p)) * dwood(ivt(p))))**(1._r8/3._r8)
                else
-                 htop(p) = ((3._r8 * deadstemc(p) * taper(p) * taper(p))/ &
-                      (SHR_CONST_PI * stocking(p) * dwood(ivt(p))))**(1._r8/3._r8)
+                 htop(p) = ((3._r8 * deadstemc(p) * taper(ivt(p)) * taper(ivt(p)))/ &
+                      (SHR_CONST_PI * stocking(ivt(p)) * dwood(ivt(p))))**(1._r8/3._r8)
                end if
 
                ! Peter Thornton, 5/3/2004
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ subroutine VegStructUpdate(num_soilp, filter_soilp, &
          ! Liston and Hiemstra, 2011; Belke-Brea et al. 2020
          if (ivt(p) > noveg .and. ivt(p) <= nbrdlf_dcd_brl_shrub ) then
             ol = min( max(snow_depth(c)-hbot(p), 0._r8), htop(p)-hbot(p))
-            fb = 1._r8 - (ol / max(1.e-06_r8, bendresist(p) * (htop(p)-hbot(p)))) ** vegshape(p)
+            fb = 1._r8 - (ol / max(1.e-06_r8, bendresist(ivt(p)) * (htop(p)-hbot(p)))) ** vegshape(ivt(p))
          else
             fb = 1._r8 - max(min(snow_depth(c),0.2_r8),0._r8)/0.2_r8   ! 0.2m is assumed
             !depth of snow required for complete burial of grasses
diff --git a/components/elm/src/main/pftvarcon.F90 b/components/elm/src/main/pftvarcon.F90
index 0386c974f9a2..66bd67685346 100644
--- a/components/elm/src/main/pftvarcon.F90
+++ b/components/elm/src/main/pftvarcon.F90
@@ -1047,6 +1047,10 @@ subroutine pftconrd
    end do
     call ncd_io('stocking', stocking, 'read', ncid, readvar=readv, posNOTonfile=.true.)
     if (.not. readv ) stocking(:) = 1000._r8
+    ! convert from stems/ha -> stems/m2
+    do i = 0, npft -1
+      stocking(i) = stocking(i) / 10000._r8
+    end do 
     call ncd_io('taper', taper, 'read', ncid, readvar=readv, posNOTonfile=.true.)
     if (.not. readv ) then
       taper(:) = 200._r8