Best practice biodiversity management in reserves and other natural areas. Well designed studies including rigorous experimental work are needed to quantify biotic responses to fire and invasive species control. This is essential to help guide managers of parks, military training areas and state forests in best practice methods to manage fire, invasive species and biodiversity. Thus, this project will have far reaching implications for improved environmental and biodiversity management in a wide ....Best practice biodiversity management in reserves and other natural areas. Well designed studies including rigorous experimental work are needed to quantify biotic responses to fire and invasive species control. This is essential to help guide managers of parks, military training areas and state forests in best practice methods to manage fire, invasive species and biodiversity. Thus, this project will have far reaching implications for improved environmental and biodiversity management in a wide range of sectors. Rapid climate change will exacerbate problems associated with altered fire regimes and invasive species. New insights from this research will enhance the capacity to manage Australia and overseas landscapes in response to rapid climate change.Read moreRead less
Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspr ....Population dynamics and genetic variation of plants with contrasting fire responses. We combine the traditional concerns of population viability analyses with the modern techniques of DNA fingerprinting for precise genotyping of individual plants and their seeds. We expect major breakthroughs in our understanding of how fire-killed species have survived thousands of years of frequent burning by Aborigines (by identifying seeds dispersed long distances from burnt parents); how paternity of offspring changes over the lifespan of plants which retain their seeds for many years; at what age within-plant genetic variation is at a maximum as a guide to optimal fire management; and the extent that deleterious somatic mutations explain low seed set among long-lived species.Read moreRead less
Understanding the health effects of landscape burning and biomass smoke in Australian towns and cities. Bushfires are increasingly affecting Australian towns and cities directly and indirectly from episodes of severe air pollution. An approach to manage bushfires is to reduce fuel loads by setting planned fires under stable weather conditions, yet this strategy is controversial because of community concerns about ecological sustainability and negative health impacts from smoke. The relative im ....Understanding the health effects of landscape burning and biomass smoke in Australian towns and cities. Bushfires are increasingly affecting Australian towns and cities directly and indirectly from episodes of severe air pollution. An approach to manage bushfires is to reduce fuel loads by setting planned fires under stable weather conditions, yet this strategy is controversial because of community concerns about ecological sustainability and negative health impacts from smoke. The relative importance of air pollution from planned and unplanned bushfires vs. wood heaters, agricultural burning and other sources of air pollution will be determined. Our study will enable evidence-based bushfire smoke management, help formulate national air quality standards and shape policies regarding biomass smoke and bushfire management.Read moreRead less
Fire management of complex rehabilitated forests - quantifying and understanding spatial variability of forest structure and fuels. Up to 5 million ha of forest is burnt by bushfire in Australia in severe fire years. The cost of fire suppression in 2002/3 in WA was in excess of 12 million dollars. Consequently, development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing fire management and reducing wildfire risk is of high priority and substantial economic, social and environmental b ....Fire management of complex rehabilitated forests - quantifying and understanding spatial variability of forest structure and fuels. Up to 5 million ha of forest is burnt by bushfire in Australia in severe fire years. The cost of fire suppression in 2002/3 in WA was in excess of 12 million dollars. Consequently, development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing fire management and reducing wildfire risk is of high priority and substantial economic, social and environmental benefit. The opportunity to conduct experimental fires across a complex landscape will enable calibration and development of technologies not previously possible. This research will define the way prescribed fire is used to integrate young rehabilitated forest into management of the broader landscape and develop more cost-effective tools for fire management.Read moreRead less
Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a ....Bushfire smoke and the relationship between human and landscape health. A team of landscape ecologists, environmental chemists and public health specialists will determine the ecological causes and adverse health effects of different levels of bushfire smoke in Darwin. Darwin is an ideal setting for this research because the only source of air pollution is the high incidence of controlled and uncontrolled bushfires during the dry season causing variable air quality: a preliminary study found a link between smoke pollution levels and asthma. The findings of the proposed research will contribute to improved fire management practices to reduce injurious smoke pollution events and contribute to setting appropriate national air quality standards.Read moreRead less
Coupled Atmosphere-Bushfire Modelling with Application to Canberra 2003. Large bushfires are by far the largest contributor to property losses in Australia. Prescribed fire is an important land management tool for farmers, foresters and park managers among others. There is a need to develop practical and accurate tools for predicting the behaviour and spread of both prescribed and uncontrolled fires. Australian bushfire research and land management would benefit greatly from the application of m ....Coupled Atmosphere-Bushfire Modelling with Application to Canberra 2003. Large bushfires are by far the largest contributor to property losses in Australia. Prescribed fire is an important land management tool for farmers, foresters and park managers among others. There is a need to develop practical and accurate tools for predicting the behaviour and spread of both prescribed and uncontrolled fires. Australian bushfire research and land management would benefit greatly from the application of modern, advanced computational methods. The time is ripe for the huge advances in computer technology and numerical modelling to be applied directly to fire problems, benefiting public safety and the safety of fire-fighting volunteers.Read moreRead less
The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strat ....The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strategies. The investigation will provide critical new knowledge for use in fire management, vegetation management and biodiversity conservation within national parks, state forests and similar types of land.Read moreRead less