Abstract. Changes in fire activity over the last 8000 years are simulated with a global fire model driven by changes in climate and vegetation cover. The changes were separated into those caused through variations in fuel availability, fuel moisture or wind speed, which react differently to changes in climate. Disentangling these controlling factors helps in understanding the overall climate control on fire activity over the Holocene.Globally the burned area is simulated to increase by 2.5 % between 8000 and 200 cal yr BP, with larger regional changes compensating nearly evening out on a global scale. Despite