Stand-scale gap-phase dynamics is generally viewed as the main driver of development in mesic deciduous forests of the temperate biome. Soil charcoal of temperate forests in eastern North America are unnoticed in most surveys, thus explaining why fire is undervalued as a driver of forest succession. The extent to which gap-phase, fire, or other processes are responsible for the regeneration and maintenance of mesic deciduous forests is unknown because paleoecological evidence is lacking. We tested the fire-driven succession hypothesis on the development of this major forest type. Based on charcoal ¹⁴C dates of two sites, 44 and 55 fires occurred since early Holocene, with a mean interval of 170 to 215 years. The vegetation of both sites followed comparable post-glacial trajectories consisting of three distinct periods. Conifers dominated the two first periods during 5200–6000 years and were replaced by hardwoods–conifers over the last 3500 years. The first period was represented by boreal conifers, whereas the second period, dominated by white pine (Pinus strobus) forests, persisted during 3000–4300 years. The third period marked the development of hardwood (sugar maple, Acer saccharum) forests. Fires occurred continuously on the sites since early Holocene likely under dry conditions during the conifer periods and cooler and moister conditions during the hardwood–conifer period. Recurrent fires appear with climate as key drivers of the long-term dynamics of several temperate forests in eastern North America. Similar studies on other temperate forests should be pursued to test the hypothesis of climate–fire interactions influencing tree composition change.

林分尺度的间隙相动力学通常被认为是温带生物群落的中性落叶林发展的主要驱动力。在大多数调查中，北美东部温带森林的土壤木炭并未引起人们的注意，从而解释了为什么低估了火势作为森林演替的动力。由于缺乏古生态学证据，所以间隙相，火或其他过程在多大程度上促进了中性落叶林的再生和维持，尚不清楚。我们对这种主要森林类型的发展测试了以火为动力的演替假设。基于木炭¹⁴始于全新世以来，发生了两个地点的火灾，分别是44和55次大火，平均间隔时间为170至215年。两个地点的植被都遵循类似的冰川后轨迹，包括三个不同的时期。针叶树在5200–6000年中占据了前两个时期的主导地位，并且在过去3500年中被硬木针叶树所取代。第一个时期以北方针叶树为代表，而第二个时期则以白松（Pinus strobus）森林为主，持续了3000至4300年。第三个时期标志着硬木（糖槭的发展，糖槭）森林。自早期全新世以来，该地区不断发生火灾，可能在针叶树时期处于干燥条件下，而在硬木-针叶树时期处于凉爽潮湿的条件下。反复发生的火灾与气候一起成为北美东部几种温带森林长期动态的主要驱动力。应该对其他温带森林进行类似的研究，以检验影响树木组成变化的气候-火相互作用的假说。