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Although gymnosperms were nearly swept away by the rise of the angiosperms in the Late Cretaceous, conifers, and pines ( Pinus species) in particular, survived and regained their dominance in some habitats. Diversification of pines into fire-avoiding (subgenus Haploxylon ) and fire-adapted (subgenus Diploxylon ) species occurred in response to abiotic and biotic factors in the Late Cretaceous such as competition with emerging angiosperms and changing fire regimes. Adaptations/traits that evolved in response to angiosperm-fuelled fire regimes and stressful environments in the Late Cretaceous were key to pine success and are also contributing to a new "pine rise" in some areas in the Anthropocene. Human-mediated activities exert both positive and negative impacts of range size and expansion and invasions of pines. Large-scale afforestation with pines, human-mediated changes to fire regimes, and other ecosystem processes are other contributing factors. We discuss traits that evolved in response to angiosperm-mediated fires and stressful environments in the Cretaceous and that continue to contribute to pine persistence and dominance and the numerous ways in which human activities favor pines.