This is the first project update from the From hectares to tailor-made solutions study, with information for end-users and those interested in the latest from the project.
Project team
The project has gathered steam recently with two key positions filled. Hamish Clarke will be working out of both the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University, leading the empirical analysis, data management and various other bits and pieces. One of his first orders of business is to examine current data holdings across the team and acquire new data. Chances are you or someone you know has been contacted by Hamish as he tries to update and ferret out data – a big thank you to everyone who has provided or agreed to provide data already.
The other position recently filled is a research assistant working out of the University of Melbourne, Brett Cirulis. Brett will be leading the case study part of the project, involving simulations using the Phoenix model. The first steps are selecting the case study areas and getting the necessary data to perform the simulations.
The project team got together in Melbourne ahead of the Fuels & Fire Behaviour conference in April. It was a productive meeting, covering data needs and systems, methodological issues and all important deliverables.
Study areas
Fifteen candidate Bioregions have been selected as the locations for detailed landscape-scale simulation case studies, based on the project criteria of exploration of climatic, population and land use variations across southern Australia.
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest - south east Queensland, Victorian midlands, south east corner, south east highlands and the Tasmanian southern ranges. These Bioregions form a gradient of mainly forested landscapes along the east coast, ranges and slopes, encompassing wide variations in population and land uses. These complement existing risk modelling exercises done in the Sydney region, the Otways and Victorian central east risk landscapes.
Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub – the Murray-Darling depression, Flinders lofty block, Jarrah forest/Swan Coastal Plain and Esperance Bioregions. These form a mixed gradient of dry vegetation from western Victoria to south western WA, including possible case studies in the vicinity of Adelaide and Perth.
Temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands - the Murray-Darling depression, nandewar and NSW south western slopes. Potentially, several case studies in these Bioregions will represent the spectrum of mixed agriculture and remnant vegetation that typifies these moderately populated inland regions in Victoria and NSW.
Deserts and Xeric shrublands - Great Victoria Desert, and the Broken Hill complex. Case studies situated in SA and NSW will explore effects in these sparsely populated rangelands and conservation reserves.
Next steps
The initial focus has been on fire history, fire severity and a variety of layers needed to run the Phoenix model. There are a few skerricks still missing that Hamish is pursuing, but he will also be turning his attention to a broader range of biophysical datasets, which will inform both the simulation studies but also the empirical analyses. Phoenix simulations will kick off shortly, with the initial focus on peri-urban areas near Canberra, Adelaide, Hobart and the Gold Coast. And in the not too distant future, Hamish will commence empirical analyses.
About Hamish
Until joining the team, Hamish worked at the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage in the Climate and Atmospheric Research Team. At OEH Hamish conducted his own bushfire research and coordinated a range of other climate change impact research, including the NSW and ACT Regional Climate Modelling project. In 2015 he completed a PhD under Andy Pitman at the University of New South Wales looking at the impact of climate change on bushfire weather conditions and fuel load.
About Brett
Stay tuned for the next update to hear about Brett’s background.
Want more?
If you would like to know more about the project, or have anything to share with the team or the of the end-users, please contact Hamish at hamishc@uow.edu.au or 02 4221 5729.