Silvicultural recovery in ash forests following three recent large bushfires in Victoria

Fagg, P. C.; Lutze, M.; Slijkerman, Carolyn; Ryan, Michael G.; Bassett, Owen D.

doi:10.1080/00049158.2013.848610

Cited by 29 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…A wildfire in 2006/07 killed thousands of hectares of 3-4 year old alpine ash regrowth, and a subsequent fire in 2009 placed a substantial area of alpine ash forests at risk of elimination (Fagg et al, 2013;Ferguson, 2011). In 2013, yet another wildfire burnt large areas of alpine ash forest that had already been burnt once or twice by wildfires in the preceding decade (in 2003, 2006/07 and 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Satisfactory density of regrowth is contingent on tree canopies containing fully mature seed at the time of the fire, a receptive seedbed (competition-free, mineral soil), vernalisation by exposing imbibed seeds to at least 6 weeks of near freezing temperature to break dormancy, and adequate rainfall when seedlings are very small (Fagg et al, 2013;Florentine et al, 2008;Grose, 1960;Vivian et al, 2008). If a second high intensity wildfire occurs before the regrowth matures and sets seed, the species may be locally eliminated (Fagg et al, 2013). A recent study found very dense regrowth in areas that had been burnt by a single high severity fire, but where a second fire had occurred, the density of regrowth was 97% lower .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been used in reforestation for many decades, especially in resowing conifer and eucalypt forests following clearfell harvesting or wildfire (Grose et al, 1964;Mergen et al, 1981;Wilson, 1993), yet its outcomes have seldom been reported in the scientific literature. Large-scale aerial sowing of alpine ash and the closely-related mountain ash (E. regnans) is a standard silvicultural practice in south-eastern Australia (Florence, 1996;Neyland et al, 2009;Fagg et al, 2013), but prior to 2013, it had never been used in national parks and conservation reserves, with park management protocol allowing only natural regeneration (Ferguson, 2011). However, after the 2013 fire, national park managers decided that burnt areas with no natural seed source should be artificially sown in the winter following the 2013 bushfire, when seedbeds were receptive and there was sufficient time for seed stratification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We use the term ''regrowth'' to refer to these dense cohorts of alpine ash seedlings before they reach sexual maturity at about15-20 years of age, when they are up to 25 m tall and have a stem diameter of 15-20 cm (Fagg et al, 2013). Satisfactory density of regrowth is contingent on tree canopies containing fully mature seed at the time of the fire, a receptive seedbed (competition-free, mineral soil), vernalisation by exposing imbibed seeds to at least 6 weeks of near freezing temperature to break dormancy, and adequate rainfall when seedlings are very small (Fagg et al, 2013;Florentine et al, 2008;Grose, 1960;Vivian et al, 2008). If a second high intensity wildfire occurs before the regrowth matures and sets seed, the species may be locally eliminated (Fagg et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Aerial sowing stopped the loss of alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) forests burnt by three short-interval fires in the Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Bassett¹,

Prior

Slijkerman³

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Aerial sowing stopped the loss of alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) forests burnt by three short-interval fires in the Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Bassett¹,

Prior

Slijkerman³

et al. 2015

Forest Ecology and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…But an additional pressure on recruitment is relevant to the persistence of natural ash stands and re-seeding attempts: recruitment of alpine ash requires vernalisation of seed in its seedbed; 6 weeks near-freezing to break dormancy (Bassett et al 2015). If soil moisture is limited during the austral spring germination period, or the soil surface exceeds 30-32°C, seeds may not germinate (Fagg et al 2013). Frosts are projected to decline in south-eastern Australia (Timbal et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Adaptation services and pathways for the management of temperate montane forests under transformational climate change

et al. 2016

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In regions prone to wildfire, a major driver of ecosystem change is increased frequency and intensity of fire events caused by a warming, drying climate. Uncertainty over the nature and extent of change creates challenges for how to manage ecosystems subject to altered structure and function under climate change. Using montane forests in south-eastern Australia as a case study, we addressed this issue by developing an ecosystem state-andtransition model based on a synthesis of expert knowledge and published data, with fire frequency and intensity as drivers. We then used four steps to determine future adaptation options: (1) estimation of changes in ecosystem services under each ecosystem state to identify adaptation services: the ecosystem processes and services that help people adapt to environmental change; (2) identification and sequencing of decision points to maintain each ecosystem state or allow transition to an alternative state; (3) analysis of interactions between societal values, scientific and management knowledge and institutional rules (vrk) required to reframe the decision context for future management, and (4) determining options for an adaptation pathway for management of montane forests under climate change. Our approach is transferable to other ecosystems for which alternative states can be predicted under climate change.Climatic Change

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The effect of species, size, and fire intensity on tree mortality within a catastrophic bushfire complex

Trouvé

Oborne

Baker

2021

Ecological Applications

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Infrequent, high‐intensity disturbances can have profound impacts on forested landscapes, changing forest structure and altering relative species abundance. However, due to their rarity and the logistical challenges of directly observing such extreme events, both the spatial variability of disturbance intensity and the species‐specific responses to this variability are poorly understood. We used observed patterns of mortality across a fire severity gradient following the 2009 Black Saturday fires in southeastern Australia to simultaneously estimate (1) species‐ and size‐specific susceptibility to fire‐induced mortality and (2) fire intensity. We found broad variation in patterns of fire susceptibility among the 10 tree species (five eucalypts and five non‐eucalypts) sufficiently abundant for analysis. Among the eucalypts, Eucalyptus obliqua was the most resistant to fire‐induced mortality, with trees of ~25 cm DBH having a 50% probability of surviving even the most intense fires. In contrast, E. regnans had 100% mortality across all size classes when subjected to high‐intensity fire. Basal resprouting occurred in six of the study species and, when accounted for, fundamentally changed the mortality profile of these species, highlighting the importance of resprouting as an adaptation to fire in these landscapes. In particular, the two iconic cool temperate rainforest species (Nothofagus cunninghami and Atherosperma moschatum) were strong resprouters (~45% of individuals were able to resprout after being top‐killed by fire). We also found evidence for compositional shifts in regeneration above threshold values of fire intensity in cool temperate rainforest and mixed forest sites, both of which have important conservation values within these landscapes. The observed patterns of species‐ and size‐specific susceptibility to fire‐induced mortality may be used to anticipate changes in forest structure and composition in the future. In addition, they may also help guide forest management strategies that reduce the length of time individual trees are exposed to potentially lethal fires, thereby increasing the resilience of these forests to future fires.

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Silvicultural recovery in ash forests following three recent large bushfires in Victoria

Cited by 29 publications

References 4 publications

Aerial sowing stopped the loss of alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) forests burnt by three short-interval fires in the Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Aerial sowing stopped the loss of alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) forests burnt by three short-interval fires in the Alpine National Park, Victoria, Australia

Adaptation services and pathways for the management of temperate montane forests under transformational climate change

The effect of species, size, and fire intensity on tree mortality within a catastrophic bushfire complex

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