Biotic interactions between pioneer and late-successional species may affect the spatial arrangement of the individuals in plant communities resulting in positive or negative patterns of association. Studies that analyze the plant colonization patterns in areas of natural forest regeneration are important to ecological restoration projects. The aim of this work is to investigate the population structure and the spatial distribution of Podocarpus lambertii (Podocarpaceae) in a restoration area, verifying the effect of pioneer plant species on P. lambertii recruitment. The work was performed in a 1 ha degraded area in the National Forest of Sao Francisco de Paula, RS, Brazil. In contiguous plots of 10 x 10 m all individuals of P. lambertii and adult individuals of the pioneer species Baccharis uncinella and Vernonia discolor were mapped and measured. The P. lambertii population maintained itself stable during the study period, with the number of individuals in each size class reasonably constant. Juveniles of P. lambertii were negatively associated with the pioneer B. uncinella indicating a competitive interaction, and were positively associated with V. discolor individuals, indicating facilitation. These results may contribute to the development of management techniques for the restoration of degraded areas in southern Brazil.