Soil environmental factors rather than denitrification gene abundance control N2O fluxes in a wet sclerophyll forest with different burning frequency

► Effects of long-term repeated prescribed burnings on soil N2O fluxes were measured. ► More frequent (2 yearly burning) reduced soil N substrate availability and N2O fluxes. ► Prescribed burning did not affect the abundance of most denitrification genes. ► Less frequent fire (4 yearly burning) promoted the microbial resilience after fire. ► Soil edaphic factors, not gene abundance, explains the variation in the N2O fluxes.