The Cerrado is a world biodiversity hotspot threatened by land-use changes for agriculture, pastures and forestry, impacting traditional peoples. We studied tree community dynamics over 17 years in a protected area where sustainable use of resources is allowed. For this, we monitored trees in three cerrado phytophysiognomies: typical, rupestrian and sparse. Richness increased from 49 to 52 species, while species diversity and equitability remained stable. The typical and rupestrian cerrado had higher recruitment than mortality, but the sparse cerrado was unstable due to high mortality of a dominant tree species. All three cerrado types show self-regeneration and structural resilience. Mortality varied mainly due to logging and fire. Despite external pressures, the Cerrado tree community in the protected area maintains its diversity, structure and regeneration capacity, highlighting the importance of protected areas for conserving biodiversity and supporting traditional livelihoods.