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Our objective was to identify the major barriers to natural regeneration of tree species in abandoned Panamanian pastures as a first step in formulating management strategies to facilitate forest recovery. We tested whether fire, seed dispersal, and the presence of an introduced grass, Saccharum spontaneum L., were barriers to forest regeneration. We examined growth, survival, and density of both experimentally-introduced and naturally-regenerating tree seedlings using a series of multifactorial experiments. / We found that seed dispersal limits forest regeneration. Large-seeded species have the highest performance in the Saccharum spontaneum, but were found in the lowest abundance in natural conditions. Small-seeded species were most frequently observed, but they have the lowest survival. We conclude that dispersal limitations preclude entry of the larger-seeded species. Distance from the forest limits dispersal of many small-seeded species. Fire is a major barrier to natural regeneration because it lowers species diversity.