Native and non-native understory vegetation responses to restoration treatments in a dry conifer forest over 23 years

•Combined cutting and burning treatments exerted greatest impacts on understory.•Peak responses in understory cover and richness dampened over time.•Native understory vegetation communities were resilient to restoration treatment.•Non-natives fell to < 5% cover, despite a large spike 3–5 years post-treatment.•Overstory density controlled native but not non-native understory species.