Adaptive prescribed burning in Australia for the early 21st Century – context, status, challenges

Russell‐Smith, Jeremy; McCaw, Lachlan; Leavesley, Adam

doi:10.1071/wf20027

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…As a result, increasing fire frequency may result in the widespread loss of these forests through transition to alternate stable states (Bergstrom et al., 2021). Mitigating this is a core challenge due to dynamic increases in the scale of burned area in temperate Australian forest (Boer et al., 2020), yet a dominant response has been to reinforce the traditional approach of prescribed burning at the expense of new evidence (Morgan et al., 2020; Russell‐smith et al., 2020). Long‐unburnt forests commonly have less shrub cover (termed ‘fuel hazard’ in the fire industry; McColl‐Gausden et al., 2019; Wilson et al., 2018), but it has been argued that low intensity prescribed fire will provide insufficient soil heating to stimulate the germination of leguminous shrubs such as Daviesia latifolia (Knox & Clarke, 2006; Santana et al., 2010).…”

Section: Example Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking fire behaviour and its ecological effects to plant traits, using FRaME in R

Zylstra

Liow

2021

Methods Ecol Evol

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1. Floral fire ecology incorporates a feedback loop in which plants influence fire behaviour and fire behaviour influences the flora. Recent advances in fire behaviour modelling have quantified many plant-based drivers of fire behaviour, but the consequent ecological effects of this have not yet been adequately modelled mechanistically.2. Here, I introduce the Fire Research and Modelling Environment (FRaME) as the open-source R package frame on GitHub. FRaME calculates the influence of plants on fire behaviour using a biophysical, mechanistic model of fire behaviour, building this into complex simulations. From these, it models heat transfer from flames into surrounding surfaces, calculating its ecological effects on plants and soils. I demonstrate the application of the central analysis functions using a detailed case study, in which I validate predictions of fire behaviour and ecological effects, and derive quantitative measures for the efficacy of different management treatments to mitigate fire risk to a vulnerable ecosystem.3. FRaME modelling predicted ecological effects such as the breaking of seed dormancy, scorch and the girdling of different tree strata, consistent with observed effects and providing insights into treatment efficacy that were not captured by existing assumptions. FRaME analyses were able to identify treatments that both increased the likelihood of success in containing fires and minimised fire impacts on a fire-sensitive ecosystem.4. FRaME provides a platform to examine the full role of fire in an ecosystem, from the ways that biota drive flammability to the influence of that flammability on the ecosystem. By mechanistically incorporating the effect of biophysical drivers throughout this feedback, FRaME can provide novel insights and solutions for complex problems, quantify risk and guide effective mitigation measures. The model is extensible, providing a conceptual framework into which emerging work on flammability and fire effects can be incorporated.

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Section: Example Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking fire behaviour and its ecological effects to plant traits, using FRaME in R

Zylstra

Liow

2021

Methods Ecol Evol

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“…In Australia, management of wildfire in native forests has emerged as another substantive issue, both independent of (e.g. Russell-Smith et al 2020 ) and linked to (e.g. Lindenmayer et al 2020 ) forest harvesting; and in both countries, a range of environmental and social issues are associated with plantation afforestation and management.…”

Section: Forest Environmental Frontiers In Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boer et al 2020 ), the relationship between forest management and wildfire, and how best to manage forests to minimise risk to life, property and environmental assets, has become even more strongly contested. Debate about each of fuel management strategies (Morgan et al 2020 ; Russell-Smith et al 2020 ) and the role of timber harvesting (Lindenmayer et al 2020 ; Bowman et al 2021) replays established conflicts, but also introduces new dimensions such as the potential of First Nations’ traditional burning practices to reduce wildfire risk (e.g. Neale et al 2019 ; Steffensen 2020 ).…”

Section: Forest Environmental Frontiers In Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One substantive issue at this frontier in both countries is the impact on biodiversity and other ecosystem services of the rapid growth of major cities and, in some locations, ‘sea change’ (coastal) and ‘tree change’ (rural) residential development (Australia State of Environment Committee 2011 ; Ministry for the Environment 2019 ). In Australia, peri-urban and tree change development may also elevate wildfire risks, and management of landscapes to mitigate this risk can further impact biodiversity and ecosystem services (Gibbons et al 2018 ; Russell-Smith et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Forest Environmental Frontiers In Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forests under the Southern Cross: The forest environmental frontier in Australia and New Zealand

Kanowski

Edwards

2021

Ambio

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Australia and New Zealand share many historical and contemporary commonalities. These define five contemporary forest environmental frontiers—for First Nations peoples, between agriculture and forestry, in forest management, in urban and peri-urban environments, and in relation to climate change. In both countries, the First Nations frontier is expanding in scale and significance with those peoples’ rights to land and forests. Frontiers with agriculture and in forest management are longstanding but dynamic and as yet little realised in relation to the need for forest and landscape restoration. Both countries are highly urbanised, elevating the significance of the urban and peri-urban frontier, particularly in the context of climate change. In both countries, forests will be profoundly impacted by climate change and are central to mitigation and adaptation strategies. Experience within and intersections between the frontiers offer encouraging prospects for synergies and for learning between the two countries and more widely.

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“…2020). Over millennia, Indigenous peoples used, and in many places still use fire for subsistence purposes as well as a wide variety of social, cultural, spiritual and environmental reasons (Pyne 1991; Lake 2007; Gammage 2011; Russell‐Smith & McCaw 2020). However, in many contexts, traditional Indigenous burning practices were disrupted due to colonisation (Eriksen & Hankins 2014), changing land uses and politics (Schmidt & Eloy 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Right‐way’ science: reflections on co‐developing Indigenous and Western cross‐cultural knowledge to support Indigenous cultural fire management

McKemey¹,

Rangers²,

Rangers³

et al. 2022

Eco Management Restoration

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Contemporary Indigenous cultural fire management facilitates opportunities for Indigenous peoples to connect to and manage their Country, as well as providing scope for research. Right-way science is defined as collaborative process of bringing Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge and methods together to create ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. Five key requirements of right-way science emerge from the literature, including: building relationships and trust; formal research approval processes; co-development of research; acknowledging challenges; and ethical, productive and mutually beneficial research. This article explores the question: how can right-way science enhance Indigenous cultural fire management? By reflecting on research collaborations between Western scientists and Indigenous ranger groups of New South Wales (Banbai) and the Northern Territory (Yugul Mangi), this paper, firstly, describes the methods we used to explore right-way science around cultural fire management. Secondly, it synthesises key findings of the research projects, including how we addressed the five key requirements of right-way science elicited from the literature. Thirdly, we provide insight on how right-way science can be applied more broadly to enhance Indigenous cultural fire management. We found that increasing opportunities for Indigenous peoples to care for their Country, supported by right-way science, places them in a unique position to contribute to solving some of the ongoing challenges and research questions associated with fire management. Western scientists have an important role to play, as supporters and followers of Indigenous research partners, and advocates of right-way science.

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Adaptive prescribed burning in Australia for the early 21st Century – context, status, challenges

Cited by 20 publications

References 51 publications

Linking fire behaviour and its ecological effects to plant traits, using FRaME in R

Linking fire behaviour and its ecological effects to plant traits, using FRaME in R

Forests under the Southern Cross: The forest environmental frontier in Australia and New Zealand

‘Right‐way’ science: reflections on co‐developing Indigenous and Western cross‐cultural knowledge to support Indigenous cultural fire management

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