Résumé
Prescribed burning is used in several countries to manage Mediterranean ecosystems mainly to reducethe risk of high-intensity wildfires. As the physiological response of overstory trees to prescribed burninghas received scant attention in the scientific literature, the main objective of this study was to determinewhether prescribed burning impacts the growth and ecophysiological responses of stands of the Aleppopine (Pinus halepensisMill.). Basal area, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen isotopic compositions were ana-lyzed before and after the burning event at an experimental site and at a nearby unburned area usedas control, both in the co-existing old dominantP. halepensistrees and in the youngest individuals.Our results suggest that the oldest pines experienced more favorable growing conditions after prescribedburning probably through higher water and nutrient availability, at least in the short term. The youngestindividuals mostly likely suffered from an increase in competition with the older co-existing trees. Thesedifferences in physiology suggest the need to understand and evaluate, in the prescribed burning man-agement plans, the growth and survival of burned trees of different ages in order to maximize the positiveeffects and reduce possible negative impacts.