Fire In the landscape, assessing the impact

Fire Note 130: Features the findings of four research projects on the impact of fire on water quantity and quality, as well as changing carbon stores (above and below the ground). Among its key findings, the research shows that controlled burning in fire-prone eucalypt (mixed species) forests in and around major water catchments is unlikely to have an impact on water supplies. Traditionally, it was thought that all forests recovering from fire took a lot of water from adjoining water catchments and reservoirs. This thinking was based on earlier studies that were limited solely to the water use of Mountain Ash type eucalypt seedlings regrowing after fire.