Fire-dependent yellow pine (Pinus) forests are included within the temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. These forests, which occupy dry slopes and typically contain xerophytic oaks (Quercus), have receded under fire suppression. Understanding historical fire regimes is essential for interpreting and managing these stands. To characterize fire history and vegetation dynamics, we conducted a dendroecological study of fire-scarred trees and age structure in pine stands at four sites in the Appalachian Mountains. Fire interval estimates suggest that before fire suppression began in the early to middle 1900s, fires occurred at approximately three- to eleven-year intervals. Short intervals were probably maintained in part by large-extent fires that spread from sparse ignition points. Fire frequency showed no long-term temporal trend (e.g., no wave of fire) from the middle 1700s through early 1900s despite land–use intensification, including industrial logging and associated wildfires during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Fire occurrence was associated with drought at two sites. Age–structure analyses evoke pyrogenic pine–oak communities that predated industrial disturbances and persisted under a regime of frequent, mixed-severity fires that was likely maintained through a positive feedback with the flammable vegetation. Competing species were established under more recent fire suppression, however, and are poised to replace the pines.

依赖火的黄松（Pinus）森林包括在北美东部的温带落叶林中。这些森林占据干燥的山坡，通常含有旱生橡树（Quercus)，在火力压制下后退。了解历史火灾制度对于解释和管理这些立场至关重要。为了描述火灾历史和植被动态，我们在阿巴拉契亚山脉的四个地点对火灾烧伤的树木和松树的年龄结构进行了树木生态学研究。火灾间隔估计表明，在 1900 年代初至中期开始灭火之前，火灾发生的间隔大约为 3 至 11 年。从稀疏的着火点蔓延的大范围火灾可能部分维持了短暂的间隔。尽管土地利用集约化，但从 1700 年代中期到 1900 年代初，火灾频率没有显示出长期的时间趋势（例如，没有火灾波），包括 19 世纪末和 20 世纪初的工业伐木和相关的野火。火灾发生与两个地点的干旱有关。年龄结构分析唤起了在工业干扰之前发生的热解松橡树群落，并在频繁、混合严重的火灾制度下持续存在，这可能是通过与易燃植被的正反馈来维持的。然而，竞争物种是在最近的火灾抑制下建立的，并准备取代松树。