Bushfires are a common sight in the Top End of the Northern
Territory.
The deluge of the wet season stimulates grasses to grow up to
2-3 m tall, but the annual drought of the dry season makes them
highly flammable and perfect for carrying fires. A research project
funded by the Bushfire CRC is looking at how burning at different
yearly intervals affects the populations of native grasses and
other plants that grow near the ground.
The actual means by which certain populations increase or
decrease (or stay the same), such as a change to the number of
seeds they produce, is being examined. This provides much more
confidence to land managers, because they have solid information to
guide decisions like how often they should burn.
The study of grasses in the Top End is a significant avenue of
research given they provide most of the fuel for fires, and so
changes to grass populations could change the occurrence and
intensity of fires.
Project Link: B 3.2
Prescribed Fire and Biodiversity in Tropical Savannas
