Climate Change effects on prescribed burning conditions in SE Australia

Despite the importance of prescribed burning in contemporary fire management, there is little understanding of how climate change will influence the weather conditions under which it is undertaken. Dr Hamish Clarke and his team have found a complex pattern of changes, with the potential for substantial and widespread increases in the current burning seasons of autumn (March-May) and spring (August-October). Interannual variability in the number of burning days is projected to increase slightly under projected climate change. Their analysis provides practitioners with quantitative information to assess their exposure to a range of potential changes in the frequency, seasonality and variability of prescribed burning weather conditions.