Miombo woodland (MW) has several multi-purpose forest species, which are over-exploited for agriculture, charcoal and logging. Industrial plantations are among the promising solutions for sustainable management of MW, but high-yielding MW species are still lacking in the forestry sector. In this context, the present study assessed the growth of MW species, with respect to their early (ES) or late (LS) successional status. Seedling development was assessed for eight tree species, which were ES (Combretum collinum, Pterocarpus tinctorius) and LS (Brachystegia boehmii, B. longifolia, B. spiciformis, B. wangermeana, Julbernardia globiflora, J. paniculata), 1, 2 and 4 years after planting. Germination and survival varied in relation to ontogenetic traits of the species, but not the successional status, as was the case for growth and productivity. Seed germination was 60% to 88% for all species (except C. collinum). Seedling survivorship was greater than 70% for most species, except for J. paniculata (36%). ES species have greater growth compared to LS, due to the allocation of biomass to diameter and the length of the root, respectively, from the early stage of seedling development. These two strategies of biomass allocation are positively correlated with height. We further observed two distinct phases of seedling development (0–2 and 2–4 years) for all species. Growth differences among LS species were identified 4 years after planting. Based on seedling biomass, B. spiciformis, C. collinum and P. tinctorius are the most productive potential candidates for reforestation of degraded MW. We concluded that seedling growth and productivity varied according to strategies of biomass allocation that were related to successional status (ES (Chipya group) versus LS (Miombo group)) and to age following planting.