One-third of all Neotropical forests are secondary forests that regrow naturally after agricultural use through secondary succession. We need to understand better how and why succession varies across environmental gradients and broad geographic scales. Here we present data on functional recovery, using community data on seven plant characteristics (traits) of 1016 forest plots from 30 chronosequence sites across the Neotropics. By analyzing communities in terms of their traits one can enhance understanding of the mechanisms of succession and assess ecosystem recovery.