Background <p>Soil salinization threatens the sustainability of agroecosystems, particularly in arid regions where irrigated lands become unsuitable for conventional agriculture. Productive restoration integrates the recovery of ecosystem structure and function with agroecological systems that provide goods and services, particularly in degraded agricultural landscapes. Afforestation with native woody species may facilitate the recovery of saline-affected lands while generating productive benefits, but long-term species and provenance performance across salinity gradients remains poorly understood. This study evaluated <i>Neltuma flexuosa</i> and <i>N. chilensis</i> from three provenances (Chilecito, Fiambalá, and Mogna) for the productive restoration of salinized irrigated drylands in the Cuyo region, Argentina.</p> Methods <p>To evaluate afforestation as a productive restoration strategy, 1,920 seedlings of <i>N. flexuosa</i> and <i>N. chilensis</i> from three provenances were planted in 2013 on four irrigated farms affected by secondary salinization in the Media Agua oasis, San Juan. The plantation was established across four soil salinity conditions representing a natural gradient of electrical conductivity. Survival and growth were monitored over an 11-year period (2014–2024), and physiological responses to salinity were assessed through measurements of predawn leaf water potential and stomatal conductance.</p> Results <p>Survival and growth declined progressively with increasing soil salinity, with the highest mortality under very high salinity conditions. Tree height and basal diameter also decreased along the salinity gradient. Species and provenance significantly influenced performance. <i>N. chilensis</i> showed higher overall survival and growth, particularly under lower salinity conditions, whereas <i>N. flexuosa</i> exhibited a weaker decline in performance with increasing salinity. Provenance effects were also important, with <i>N. flexuosa</i> from Fiambalá showing the best performance under saline conditions. Fine-scale spatial variability in soil conditions within plots explained a substantial proportion of variation in survival and growth, emphasizing the importance of local site characterization for restoration planning. Physiological responses were mainly associated with species identity, with <i>N. flexuosa</i> showing stronger stomatal adjustments under increasing salinity.</p> Conclusions <p>Successful productive restoration in salinized landscapes requires integrating species- and provenance-specific responses with fine-scale environmental heterogeneity. No single species–provenance combination maximized performance across the entire salinity gradient, highlighting the need for spatially explicit planning and site-specific selection of planting material.</p>