The paper explores the ecological responses to climatic variability in the American Southwest, focusing on decadal and regional scales. It highlights the complex relationships between climate and disturbances such as fires, insect outbreaks, and tree demography. The authors use tree-ring reconstructions to reveal that extreme droughts, contrary to conventional wisdom, were often associated with wet decades, and that regional fires occur during extreme droughts, influenced by both drought and antecedent wet conditions. Interdecadal changes in fire-climate associations parallel shifts in the Southern Oscillation (SO) over the past three centuries. The 1950s drought, one of the most severe in the past 400 years, led to widespread plant die-offs and accelerated shrub invasion. The post-1976 shift to a negative SO phase and wetter cool seasons resulted in an unprecedented surge in tree-ring growth, potentially improving rangeland conditions. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term perspectives and the need to disentangle natural and cultural factors in understanding ecosystem responses to climate variability.The paper explores the ecological responses to climatic variability in the American Southwest, focusing on decadal and regional scales. It highlights the complex relationships between climate and disturbances such as fires, insect outbreaks, and tree demography. The authors use tree-ring reconstructions to reveal that extreme droughts, contrary to conventional wisdom, were often associated with wet decades, and that regional fires occur during extreme droughts, influenced by both drought and antecedent wet conditions. Interdecadal changes in fire-climate associations parallel shifts in the Southern Oscillation (SO) over the past three centuries. The 1950s drought, one of the most severe in the past 400 years, led to widespread plant die-offs and accelerated shrub invasion. The post-1976 shift to a negative SO phase and wetter cool seasons resulted in an unprecedented surge in tree-ring growth, potentially improving rangeland conditions. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term perspectives and the need to disentangle natural and cultural factors in understanding ecosystem responses to climate variability.