Abstract: The southwest China’s forest region is a critical fire prevention region in China, characterized by a high incidence of forest fires, largely due to the fire-adapted traits of its predominant vegetation. This region hosts a wide range of coniferous tree species, including Pinus yunnanensis, P. kesiya, P. densata, as well as the  subspecies of P. yunnanensi' (P. yunnanensi' var. pygmaea and P. yunnanensis var. tenuifolia). These coniferous species have developed notable fire adaptations, including high flammability, fire-dependent regeneration, and strong fire resistance. They exhibit high flammability but possess fire resistance, enabling them to eliminate competing plants through fire and rapidly regenerate post-fire, resulting in strong competitiveness. The distribution zones of these Pinus species are high-frequency forest fire areas. We systematically summarize the distinct fire adaptation strategies of major coniferous species in southwest China’s forests and their successional patterns under fire disturbance. This review aims to provide references for understanding the maintenance mechanism of the major coniferous tree ecosystem in the southwest forest area and exploring the future forest fire management methods in this region. Future research should focus on post-fire dynamic recovery mechanisms of dominant vegetation in southwest China’s forest region, fire risk zoning and zonal management strategies, and implementation and optimization of prescribed burning techniques.

Key words: southwest China’s forest region, coniferous tree species, fire-adapted trait, post-fire response