Forest management can have major impacts on the dynamic of ecological communities, including shifts in reproduction and survival strategies in newly recruited individuals. This study aims to predict the probability of presence of saplings of various species in managed forests in the Sudanian domain of Senegal based on their functional traits. Data on functional traits and the main commercial and domestic uses of twenty high-socio-economic value species were collected, along with their presence-absence, in 12, 832 plots from twenty sites in Senegal's savannahs spanning four different types of forest management, including unmanaged forests, old managed forests, recently managed forests, and community reserve forests. Mixed logistic regression models were used to predict whether high-value species would be present in different forest management types, depending on their main uses, and regeneration, growth and reproduction functional traits. We hypothesised that forest management would favour species with more efficient colonising and competitive abilities, particularly at high levels of disturbance. Our findings demonstrated that unmanaged forests were more likely to host high-value species, regardless of their functional traits and main uses. These protected forests also hosted the greatest variety of regeneration functional traits, heights and uses. Old managed forests were more likely to host high-value species compared to recently managed and community reserve forests. Moreover, high-value species capable of vegetative regeneration and those with low maximum height were more likely to occur in all types of forests, but this trend was more pronounced under higher management and disturbance intensities. This study highlights that the availability of forest products can be optimised by encouraging management strategies that promote a diversity of functional traits rather than the selective harvesting of certain high-value species. Additionally, the temporal variation in the responses of tree species could be beneficial for forest management, with more diverse values of functional traits and more high-value species being present in older managed forests relative to newly managed forests. These results indicate that it is essential to promote forest resilience after management by protecting high-value species that have the potential to restore forest functional composition over time in managed forests.

Mechanical site preparation (MSP) is used prior to planting to control competing vegetation and enhance soil conditions, particularly in areas prone to paludification. Tree planting density can be adapted to the management context and objectives, as it influences yield and wood quality. However, the combined effects of MSP and planting density on understory vegetation composition, functional traits, and diversity remain uncertain. We thus conducted a study in the Clay Belt region of northwestern Quebec, Canada. After careful logging, the study area was divided into nine sites, each receiving one of three treatments: plowing, disc trenching, or no preparation. Sites were further divided into two, with black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.) seedlings planted at either a low planting density of 1100 seedlings ha-1 or a high planting density of 2500 seedlings ha-1. After nine years, we assessed understory composition, diversity, key functional traits, sapling density and growth of planted trees. Careful logging alone led to a higher density of naturally established conifers compared to plowing or disc trenching. The interaction between planting density and MSP significantly influenced understory diversity and composition in plowed plots. Understory composition was affected by the soil C/N ratio, coniferous species, and deciduous species density. The growth of black spruce was notably enhanced with higher planting density in the plow treatment only. Neither planting density nor MSP alone affected tree height and diameter. Our results suggest that combining plowing with high-density planting can enhance stand growth and improve forest productivity. These findings guide future research on paludified forests.