Optimising fuel reduction burning - project update

This is the July 2016 newsletter from the Optimisation of fuel reduction burning regimes for fuel reduction, carbon, water and vegetation outcomes project, with updates for project end-users.

Who are we?

We are a team of researchers from the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at The University of Sydney. The project is lead by Assoc. Prof. Tina Bell who has many years of experience in bushfire ecology research. Other researchers include:

• Dr Malcolm Possell, who specialises in measuring and modelling fluxes of trace gases between the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere.
• Prof. Mark Adams, who has an incredible depth of knowledge about forests, plant growth, soil and bushfires.
• Dr Tarryn Turnbull, with expertise in dynamics of resprouting trees.
• Ms Ariana Iaconis, our very own forester.
•  Dr Mana Gharun, an eco-hydrologist.

Our team utilises their combined knowledge and experience of fire ecology, fluxes between biosphere and atmosphere, catchment hydrology and forestry with the aim to optimise fuel-reduction burning for environmental values including reduction of CO2 emissions, carbon storage and maintenance of high quality water.

What are we doing?

Our project builds on current knowledge of how fuel-reduction burning affects fuel load, vegetation structure and carbon and water stocks which, with greater understanding, will help land managers plan their controlled burns. We compare the state of forest and woodlands with and without or before and after a recent fuel-reduction burn and use this data to build and refine our models.

The major part of our data analysis relies on the measurements that we collect from eucalypt forests and woodlands in south-eastern Australia. State government agencies have played a major role in facilitating our fieldwork and data collection by providing us with essential information and directing us towards the right authorities. For example, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has facilitated contact with their area mangers across the state and, to help us decide where and when to sample, we receive weekly notifications about burning plans and operational schedules. 

Once we are notified of a recent burn, we use maps and spatial datasets to run preliminary checks to determine if the burn is suitable in terms of vegetation type, fire history, terrain and access. If it is we head to the bush and get our hands dirty! Stepping away from the computer or out of the laboratory has been one of the highlights of our project. Dr Gharun described this in her blog post. 

We have a sampling protocol that guides how we measure fuel load in different strata and how to collect soil samples. While our sampling protocol is well-established in the scientific literature, we continuously try to improve our sampling methods in order to collect more information in a shorter time. For example, foresters often determine the amount of biomass either by physically weighing samples or inferring weights from the size and density of the vegetation. Instead, we have been using digital photography to rapidly assess vegetation load in the forest. With a digital camera mounted on a pole we can measure foliage cover and leaf area in 30 points in less than 15 minutes.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to have operational staff help us with field work. In exchange, they can learn about some of the latest methods in forest assessment. For us, an important benefit of this interaction is sharing their experience and knowledge about the technicalities and challenges involved in fuel-reduction burning. Staff often identify opportunities to improve their knowledge and operational tools and we discuss potential solutions to their questions. For example, Glenn Meade, a manager in the Hawkesbury area was recently wondering:

“Looking at the Western Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement prompted me to think your research could be connected to considerations concerning proposed flight paths over the Blue Mountains. Would you know if carbon from our hazard reduction burns would affect aircraft engines?”

These questions help identify gaps in our knowledge that inform our research and potentially move it in a direction that is most required.

What have we been doing?

Since the start of our project we have targeted 13 fuel-reduction burns across 78 plots in the ACT and NSW to measure the impact of fire on fuel and soil properties. In addition, we have remeasured historical plots in southern Victoria. Data from all of these sites are being used to inform modelling approaches that are being developed for land managers to optimise their fuel-reduction burning.