Drivers of Pinus sylvestris L. regeneration following small, high-severity fire in a dry, inner-alpine valley

When dispersal limitations are relaxed (small fires), colonization dynamics of Scots pine remain unclear. Our aims were (1) to assess the regeneration niche of Scots pine seedlings following small fires in a dry, inner-alpine valley and (2) to measure the influence of competition, drought, fertility, and soil pH on pine colonization.

We sampled pine seedlings in six high-severity fires (1962–2006), where distance from the unburned edge was