Fire History in the Qinling Mountains of East‐Central China Since the Last Glacial Maximum

The study of fire history and driving mechanisms at long time scales can provide a theoretical background for future fire management in forested regions. The alpine lake sediments from Daye Lake in the Qinling Mountains, east‐central China, were used to explore the influence of climate, vegetation and human activity on fires since the LGM, based on charcoals and black carbon. During the last glacial period, fire activity was mostly controlled by regional aridity under a weak East Asian summer monsoon, while human‐induced fires were commonly dominated in the late Holocene. Fire activity was found to be linked to biomass through temperature variability. The biofuel dominated by conifers induced high intensity fires in the last glacial, and herbs contributed more to the high fire frequency over the mid‐late Holocene. With predicted future rising temperatures, increased vegetation cover and extreme climate events may increase the fire risk in the region. Plain Language Summary Fire activity has an important influence on climate changes and carbon cycling. Understanding past fire history and its driving mechanisms are essential to mitigate the impact of fires. Here, we present fire records from alpine lake sediments in the Qinling Mountains since the LGM. Results indicate that climatological drought under a prevailing weak East Asian summer monsoon increased fire activity during 21.6–11.7 cal ka BP, while human‐induced fires became more common in the late Holocene due to land use, for example, the forest clearing for agriculture and the warfare. And high temperature increases fuel loads, resulting in more fires. Moreover, vegetation types with varying biofuel supply also influence fire activity. We suggest that fire risk may increase in the region with future rising temperature. Our results have implications for understanding fire history and management in other transitional vegetation zones globally. Key Points The prevailing weak East Asian summer monsoon mostly controlled fire activity during the last glacial, whilst human activity became common through the Holocene The conifers induced high intensity fires in the last glacial and herbs contributed more to high fire frequency over the mid‐late Holocene Forest resources in east‐central China will face the increased fire risks in the context of global warming and increasing vegetation cover