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Although mixed‐severity fires are among the most widespread disturbances influencing western North American forests, they remain the least understood. A major question is the degree to which mixed‐severity fire regimes are simply an ecological intermediate between low‐ and high‐severity fire regimes, versus a unique disturbance regime with distinct properties. The Klamath‐Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and northwestern California provide an excellent laboratory for studies of mixed‐severity fire effects, as structurally diverse vegetation types in the region foster, and partly arise from, fires of variable severity. In addition, many mixed‐severity fires have occurred in the region in the last several decades, including the nationally significant 200,000‐ha Biscuit Fire. Since 2002, we have engaged in studies of early ecosystem response to 15 of these fires, ranging from determinants of fire effects to …