A new hypothesis for the development of hollows in Box-Ironbark forest. Timber harvesting in Box-Ironbark forest over the past 150 years has significantly affected the habitat of hollow dependent fauna. Current management aims at speeding the growth of trees to accelerate hollow formation. Recent studies suggest that hollows form in trees of the Box-Ironbark forest following basal stem damage by fire or windstorm, rather than from branch damage as previously assumed. This hypothesis will be t ....A new hypothesis for the development of hollows in Box-Ironbark forest. Timber harvesting in Box-Ironbark forest over the past 150 years has significantly affected the habitat of hollow dependent fauna. Current management aims at speeding the growth of trees to accelerate hollow formation. Recent studies suggest that hollows form in trees of the Box-Ironbark forest following basal stem damage by fire or windstorm, rather than from branch damage as previously assumed. This hypothesis will be tested in relation to wildfires in 1985, 1991 and 1993 and by experimental simulation of these events. The results of this research are likely to have major implications for the management of Box- Ironbark forests.Read moreRead less
Environmental fingerprints of biogeochemical cycles embedded in tree rings: Linking global climate change to local long-term forest productivity. Forests cover one-third of the Earth's land surface and account for 80-90% of plant carbon and 30-40% of soil carbon. Forest carbon stocks and dynamics respond to and interact with global climate change (GCC). Recent tree ring research highlights the worsening impact of GCC and acid deposition on long-term forest productivity in central Europe. This pr ....Environmental fingerprints of biogeochemical cycles embedded in tree rings: Linking global climate change to local long-term forest productivity. Forests cover one-third of the Earth's land surface and account for 80-90% of plant carbon and 30-40% of soil carbon. Forest carbon stocks and dynamics respond to and interact with global climate change (GCC). Recent tree ring research highlights the worsening impact of GCC and acid deposition on long-term forest productivity in central Europe. This project seeks to develop and apply novel tree ring technologies for linking biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients to long-term forest productivity in different regions, and to provide a scientific basis for accounting for long-term forest productivity and carbon stocks in response to future GCC.Read moreRead less
Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of nat ....Increasing sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) recruitment in regional Western Australia through mammal conservation. The highly prized sandalwood is the basis of an industry that employs over 100 people and generates $12 million export income annually in regional WA. Natural recruitment of sandalwood is poor. This project will build on research, conducted by Murdoch University and the Forest Products Commission, that indicates natural recruitment of the tree is greatly enhance in the presence of native rat-kangaroos who cache the seeds. This project will train an APA(I) postgraduate through an industry based project that will evaluate increased recruitment of sandalwood by native mammal caching. Many of these mammals are Conservation Dependent or Threatened with extinction.Read moreRead less
Phytoextraction approaches for mitigating heavy metal release from unlined and loosely capped rural landfills. Australian rural landfills are used for storing hazardous wastes which contain toxic metals. Impermeable clay caps are often utilized to encapsulate these wastes and prevent release of pollutants into the environment. The integrity of these caps is crucial and requires constant care. The project aims to develop novel approaches which will improve substantially the long-term environmenta ....Phytoextraction approaches for mitigating heavy metal release from unlined and loosely capped rural landfills. Australian rural landfills are used for storing hazardous wastes which contain toxic metals. Impermeable clay caps are often utilized to encapsulate these wastes and prevent release of pollutants into the environment. The integrity of these caps is crucial and requires constant care. The project aims to develop novel approaches which will improve substantially the long-term environmental safety of rural landfills and deliver additional economic benefits. These approaches involve the use of high-value tree crops and plants capable of extracting toxic metals. Utilization of these plants will create a valuable resource on an otherwise derelict area and this will be of considerable local/regional benefit and national significance.Read moreRead less