Resilience After Fire in Mediterranean Reforested Areas

Wildfires play a key ecological role in Mediterranean ecosystems but increasing fire frequency and severity, exacerbated by climate change, threaten vegetation integrity, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Understanding early post-fire recovery trajectories is therefore essential for informing adaptation and restoration strategies. This study examined vegetation recovery in a Mediterranean area three years after a large wildfire, comparing natural holm oak stands and two human-mediated reforestation types: broadleaf and non-native coniferous reforestations. Field surveys were conducted in 117 plots 10 × 10 m across burned and unburned stands to assess total vegetation cover and mean height, and cover and mean height of structural species, complemented by an analysis of the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). Among burned plots, no significant differences were detected among natural holm oak stands, broadleaf reforestations, and conifer reforestations in total vegetation cover, vegetation height, or spectral recovery. In contrast, structural species exhibited distinct recovery patterns: broadleaf reforestations closely resembled natural holm oak stands in terms of the structural species involved, whereas conifer reforestations significantly differed. Whereas recovery in natural stands and broadleaf reforestations was driven by species typical of the potential natural vegetation, regeneration in conifer reforestations was dominated by early successional and fire-resistant species such as Cytisus villosus Pourr. and Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn, and conifer seedlings. Overall, these results highlight that broadleaf reforestations may better support trajectories aligned with natural vegetation dynamics, while conifer reforestations may require targeted management to support post-fire vegetation recovery consistent with natural forest recovery trajectories.