Restoration of the Brazilian savanna after pine silviculture: Pine clearcutting is effective but not enough

•Old pine stands constrain the recovery of the Brazilian savanna native vegetation.•Pine clearcutting is enough for the recovery of Brazilian savannas woody species.•Tree planting is not required for Brazilian savannas restoration after pine removal.•Interventions are necessary to avoid woody encroachment after pine clearcutting.•The herbaceous species of Brazilian savannas must be restored after pine removal. Planting tree monocultures in Brazilian savannas is a common practice for wood production. However, afforestation and fire suppression have caused significant ecological changes and biodiversity loss in the Cerrado region. Restoring these modified systems to their pre-plantation states remains a considerable challenge. In this study, we compared the recovery of savanna vegetation after afforestation in areas managed with three restoration strategies: (i) old pine plantation stands that are not managed anymore (control), (ii) passive restoration (natural regeneration after pine clearcutting), and (iii) native tree planting (native tree seedlings planted at high density after pine clearcutting). To compare the outcome of each strategy to native ecosystems that were never plantations, we sampled a cerrado sensu stricto (the desired restoration target), and a cerradão (the local alternative state when savannas are fire-suppressed). Fifteen years after applying the restoration approaches, we assessed the structure, richness, and composition of the plant communities. For the analyses, we separated the upper layer (woody native species, diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm) and ground layer (woody species with height ≥ 50 cm and DBH