Jarrah forest fire history from stem analysis and anthropological evidence

Burrows, Neil; Ward, B.; Robinson, Alex

doi:10.1080/00049158.1995.10674636

Cited by 84 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…These authors demonstrated that the transition from Aboriginal to European land use resulted in a sudden occurrence of fire-damaged tree rings thought to reflect a shift from low-intensity to high-intensity fires. A similar change in fire regime has been inferred from dendrochronological studies in Eucalyptus marginata forests in southwest Western Australia (Burrows et al, 1995), and Eucalyptus pauciflora in the Brindabella Ranges near Canberra ( Fig. 1) (Banks, 1988).…”

Section: Landscape Ecology : Random or Non-random Fires ?mentioning

confidence: 69%

“…McBryde & Nicholson (1978) cautioned that Hallam's (1975) argument concerning the profound and skilful environmental management of the southwest Western Australian environments required independent corroboration before it could be uncritically accepted. Recent dendrochronolgical analyses provide such independent support (Burrows, Ward & Robinson, 1995) (Fig. 3), by showing that there was a dramatic change in the frequency of intense forest fires in southwest Western Australia following European colonization.…”

Section: Ethnohistorical Evidence : Stories and Textmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…At each site 5-10 E. marginata stems were sectioned. Adapted from Burrows et al (1995). put in an oft-quoted passage that ' fire, grass, kangaroos and human inhabitants seem all dependent on each other for existence in Australia '. Furthermore, Mitchell contended that were it not for this burning, the landscape would be a ' thick jungle ' rather than ' open forests ' (Jones, 1969), and that this burning was a form of ' considerable labour ' performed by Aborigines ' from infancy ' (Hallam, 1975).…”

Section: Ethnohistorical Evidence : Stories and Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on the Australian biota

1998

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One of the most complex and contentious issues in Australian ecology concerns the environmental impact of Aboriginal landscape burning. This issue is not only important for the development of a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and evolution of the Australian biota, but is central to the formulation of appropriate strategies for the conservation of the nation's biodiversity. Ethnographic evidence leaves little doubt that Aboriginal burning played a central role in the maintenance of the landscapes subsequently colonized by Europeans. Both 19th century European colonists and anthropologists in the 20th century documented the indispensability of fire as a tool in traditional Aboriginal economies, which have aptly been described as ‘fire‐stick farming’. Aborigines used fire to achieve short‐term outcomes such as providing favourable habitats for herbivores or increasing the local abundance of food plants, but it is not clear whether or not Aborigines had a predictive ecological knowledge of the long‐term consequences of their use of fire. A large body of ecological evidence suggests that Aboriginal burning resulted in substantial changes in the geographic range and demographic structure of many vegetation types. Aboriginal burning was important in creating habitat mosaics that favoured the abundance of some mammal species and in the maintenance of infrequently burnt habitats upon which the survival of specialized fauna depends. Aboriginal fire regimes were probably critical for the maintenance of at least one species of tree (Callitris intratropica) in the monsoon tropics. The question of the original impact of humans on the Australian environment is fundamentally speculative because of vague, disputed time frames proposed for the waves of colonization and shifting settlement patterns of Aborigines in the late Quaternary period. There is an inherent circular argument concerning the cause and effect of climate change, vegetation change, and burning through the late Quaternary. Charcoal and pollen evidence from long sedimentary cores is ambiguous and cannot be used to demonstrate unequivocally the initial impact of Aboriginal people on the landscapes of Pleistocene Australia. The sparse available evidence does not support the hypotheses that Aboriginal burning was primarily responsible for the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna; was critical for the maintenance of habitats of small mammals that have become extinct following European colonization; initiated widespread accelerated soil erosion rates in either the Pleistocene or Holocene; or forced the evolutionary diversification of the Australian biota. Burning may have caused the extinction of some fire‐sensitive species of plants and animals dependent upon infrequently burnt habitats, and it must have maintained structurally open vegetation such as grasslands and also extended the range of fire‐adapted species, such as Eucalyptus, into environments climatically suitable for rain forest. Palaeoecological research concerning prior impacts of Aborigines must ...

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Section: Landscape Ecology : Random or Non-random Fires ?mentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Ethnohistorical Evidence : Stories and Textmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Ethnohistorical Evidence : Stories and Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on the Australian biota

1998

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“…It has been deduced that jarrah forest in the Mundaring area (close to Sawyers Valley) could carry a fire every three to five years and that the frequency of fires lit in jarrah forest by Aborigines in summer was two to four years (Abbott, 2003). In contrast, using fire scars on tree stems, Burrows et al (1995) estimated an average interval between tree-scarring fires of about 80 years before European settlement and about 17 years afterward. However, they suggested that lower-intensity fires of greater frequency might not scar large trees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of Fire-Tolerant Podocarps in Temperate Australian Forests

Ladd¹,

Enright²

2011

Smithsonian Contributions to Botany

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ABSTRACT. Podocarpus drouynianus and P. spinulosus are two unusual conifers restricted to southwestern and eastern Australia, respectively. The species are morphologically similar and genetically closely related to each other but rather distant from other members of the subgenus Foliolatus. Both species have retained ancestral podocarp characteristics such as dioecy, wind pollination, and large, animal-dispersed seeds with recalcitrant germination. They also thrive on soils with generally low nutrient content. However, they have several innovations that ensure their success in an environment that would generally be considered unsuitable for podocarps. Both species have much higher leaf length to width ratios than other Podocarpus species: this presumably aids their survival on low-to moderate-rainfall sites. They both resprout strongly after fires, and at least for P. drouynianus, seed production is cued by defoliation, and sporophylls are produced most prolifically on new growth one year after fire. The species are unique in the genus as being successfully adapted to a relatively dry, fire-prone environment.

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“…Fire is an important disturbance agent in the NJF and other MTFs around the world (Burrows et al 1995;Turner et al 2008). The impact of this collapse on the quantity and distribution of fuels was considerable, with higher volumes of dead wood and debris on affected sites compared to the surrounding forest.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in southwestern Australia

et al. 2013

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Drought and heat-induced forest dieback and mortality are emerging global concerns.Although Mediterranean-type forest (MTF) ecosystems are considered to be resilient to drought and other disturbances, we observed a sudden and unprecedented forest collapse in a MTF in Western Australia corresponding with record dry and heat conditions in 2010/2011.An aerial survey and subsequent field investigation were undertaken to examine: the incidence and severity of canopy dieback and stem mortality, associations between canopy health and stand-related factors as well as tree species response. Canopy mortality was found to be concentrated in distinct patches, representing 1.5% of the aerial sample (1,350 ha).Within these patches, 74% of all measured stems (> 1cm DBHOB) had dying or recently killed crowns, leading to 26% stem mortality six months following the collapse. Patches of canopy collapse were more densely stocked with the dominant species, Eucalyptus marginata, and lacked the prominent midstorey species Banksia grandis, compared to the surrounding forest. A differential response to the disturbance was observed among cooccurring tree species, which suggests contrasting strategies for coping with extreme water stress. These results suggest that MTFs, once thought to be resilient to climate change, are susceptible to sudden and severe forest collapse when key thresholds have been reached.

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Jarrah forest fire history from stem analysis and anthropological evidence

Cited by 84 publications

References 20 publications

The impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on the Australian biota

The impact of Aboriginal landscape burning on the Australian biota

Ecology of Fire-Tolerant Podocarps in Temperate Australian Forests

Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in southwestern Australia

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