Fire In The Landscape Final Report

Classify & Cross-ref
BushfireTopic: 
Ecology and Biodiversity
Fire Behaviour
Health and Safety
TitleFire In The Landscape Final Report
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsBell, T, Nyman, P, Possell, M, Sheridan, GJ, Turnbull, TL, Volkova, L, Weston, C
Date Published16/05/2014
ISBN Number978-0-9925027-4-4
AbstractThe four research projects in the ‘Fire in the Landscape’ program were positioned within the ‘Managing the Threat’ research stream of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Over the past four years (2010-2014), researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney have investigated the effects of fire on water quality and quantity and the changing nature of above and below ground carbon stores after fire. Two of the research projects were developed in response to a key challenge currently facing land managers – maintaining water quality and quantity from forested catchments. Another two research projects were developed to cope with an important issue emerging from climate change and increasing greenhouse gases in our atmosphere – quantifying carbon losses during fire. The projects described in this final report have delivered some innovative research focused on these two broad areas. The ‘water-based’ research projects were: Fires and hydrology of south-eastern Australian mixed-species forests (Project 1), and Quantifying risk of water quality impacts from burned areas (Project 2). The ‘carbon-based’ research projects were: Environmental impacts of prescribed and wildfire – emissions management (Project 3), and Greenhouse gas emission from fire and their environmental effects (Project 4). The Bushfire CRC research projects were conceived to take best advantage of the capabilities and expertise of researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney and the facilities available at each institute. Both the carbon- and water-based projects were developed to tackle research questions that, at a high level, were similar but were approached from quite different angles. Regardless of this, the focus of the research was always intended to be practical and appropriate for End User requirements.