Journal article
Exploring the key drivers of forest flammability in wet eucalypt forests using expert-derived conceptual models
JG Cawson, V Hemming, A Ackland, W Anderson, D Bowman, R Bradstock, TP Brown, J Burton, GJ Cary, TJ Duff, A Filkov, JM Furlaud, T Gazzard, M Kilinc, P Nyman, R Peacock, M Ryan, J Sharples, G Sheridan, K Tolhurst Show all
Landscape Ecology | Published : 2020
Abstract
Context: Fire behaviour research has largely focused on dry ecosystems that burn frequently, with far less attention on wetter forests. Yet, the impacts of fire in wet forests can be high and therefore understanding the drivers of fire in these systems is vital. Objectives: We sought to identify and rank by importance the factors plausibly driving flammability in wet eucalypt forests, and describe relationships between them. In doing so, we formulated a set of research priorities. Methods: Conceptual models of forest flammability in wet eucalypt forests were elicited from 21 fire experts using a combination of elicitation techniques. Forest flammability was defined using fire occurrence and ..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, State Government of Victoria
Funding Acknowledgements
This research was part of a project titled "Relationships between soil and fuel drying-flammability switch in ash and damper foothill forests" managed within the Integrated Forest Ecosystem Research program, a research program conducted by the University of Melbourne and funded by the Victorian Government's Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning. We would like to thank Andrew Sullivan and Nigel Brennan who were participants in the workshop but who felt their contributions were not sufficient to warrant authorship of this paper. Human ethics approval was obtained to conduct this research (ethics approval# 1853368).