Drivers and ecological impacts of a wildfire outbreak in the southern Appalachian Mountains after decades of fire exclusion

•Fire size and area burned in 2016 were far greater than other contemporary fires.•Topography was an important driver of burn severity but its role varied among fires.•Ecological benefits for fire-dependent species and early seral biodiversity occurred.•Fire-associated invasive plants are a major threat and management concern.•Rapid onset of late fall drought is a specific vulnerability to fire in this region.