Objective Accurate assessment of post-fire vegetation recovery trajectories and their driving mechanisms is crucial for understanding forest ecosystem resilience. In particular, how burn severity modulates the sensitivity of recovery processes to climate change is especially critical. Methods Based on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, Landsat time-series data from 2006 to 2024 and the LandTrendr algorithm were used to systematically analyze the 18-year vegetation recovery process following the 2006 megafire in the Gala Mountain Forest Farm, Heilongjiang Province. Results 1) The overall post-fire vegetation recovery exhibited a "fluctuating upward" trend, with the normalized burn ratio (NBR) increasing by 0.01 per year on average. The pre-fire NBR level was exceeded in approximately 10 years, demonstrating strong ecosystem resilience. All burned areas recovered to 80% of the pre-fire level in the first year after the fire (Y2R80=1), reflecting an extremely fast initial recovery rate. 2) Burn severity significantly shaped the recovery trajectories. Although high-severity burned areas suffered the most severe initial damage (ARI=-68%), they exhibited the fastest long-term recovery rate, suggesting a recovery pattern potentially reliant on pioneer species regeneration. In contrast, the recovery processes in low- and moderate-severity burned areas were more stable. 3) Multiple linear regression models confirmed that land surface temperature (LST) significantly inhibited recovery (p<0.01), whereas precipitation (Pr) significantly promoted recovery (p<0.01). Critically, the intensity of climatic factor impacts was significantly modulated by burn severity. The model′s explanatory power for high-severity burned areas (R²=34.91%) was much higher than that for low-severity burned areas (R²=26.77%), and the negative effect of LST was strongest in high-severity burned areas. Conclusion The findings reveal that severely damaged ecosystems are more sensitive to climate change, particularly to high-temperature stress. This study provides a key scientific basis for differentiated and climate-adaptive ecological management of post-fire cold-temperate forests.
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