Fire regime characteristics in relation to physiography at local and landscape scales in Lake States pine forests

•Frequent (mean fire return intervals = 4–13 years) and widespread fire years were common.•Young pines commonly survived and were scarred by fires (µ = 18.6 years).•Topography and water features resulted in shorter origin-to-first-scar intervals within sites.•Fire frequency and scarring did not differ with landscape scale physiography.