Tree water use, bushfires, and the implications for urban and rural water supplies. After bushfires, regrowing trees in catchments may use water much faster than before the fire. This project will develop simple tests for whether this is the case for a particular area of forest, and why, and how such effects can be incorporated in planning for rural and urban water supplies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100518
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Shifting rainfall from spring to autumn: tree growth and water use under climate change. Managing Australia's variable water resources is imperative. When the timing of rain shifts, with decreases in spring and increases in autumn, is water use in plants similar to plants which experience only a spring drought? Understanding plant water use as the timing of rain shifts will help us manage Australia's water more effectively.
Testing climatic, physiological and hydrological assumptions underpinning water yield from montane forests. Water collected in dams and reservoirs remains the mainstay water resource for Australian cities, towns and industry. Overwhelmingly, that water is collected from forested catchments where the water balance of forest stands is dominated by the amount of water used by trees. Characterising tree water use, its response to changing climatic and nocturnal conditions, and other aspects of sta ....Testing climatic, physiological and hydrological assumptions underpinning water yield from montane forests. Water collected in dams and reservoirs remains the mainstay water resource for Australian cities, towns and industry. Overwhelmingly, that water is collected from forested catchments where the water balance of forest stands is dominated by the amount of water used by trees. Characterising tree water use, its response to changing climatic and nocturnal conditions, and other aspects of stand hydrology, are crucial to our ability to predict and model future water yields. Working in the Cotter catchment near Canberra and the upper Kiewa catchment in north-east Victoria, we aim to help the agencies responsible for water and catchment management to improve the security of their forecasts of water yield and their on-ground management. Read moreRead less
Species traits, substrates and stormwater grates: improving the health of urban trees by using polluted stormwater as a resource. This project uses plant traits to select existing and novel tree species for glasshouse studies to quantify the uptake of stormwater and polluting nutrients as well as drought tolerance in stormwater street tree systems. In collaboration with water industry and tree nursery industry partners and a syndicate of local councils, the project aims to install passive stormw ....Species traits, substrates and stormwater grates: improving the health of urban trees by using polluted stormwater as a resource. This project uses plant traits to select existing and novel tree species for glasshouse studies to quantify the uptake of stormwater and polluting nutrients as well as drought tolerance in stormwater street tree systems. In collaboration with water industry and tree nursery industry partners and a syndicate of local councils, the project aims to install passive stormwater street tree systems into existing suburbs and new greenfield developments in Melbourne. Models will be used to design and predict the performance of these stormwater street tree systems, and the glasshouse/field research outputs are expected to refine the leading industry and government relevant urban catchment model.Read moreRead less