The role of coarse woody debris (CWD) in fire-prone forests: Achieving both fire management and conservation objectives.

Fallen logs (also known as coarse woody debris: CWD or heavy fuel) play an important role in biodiversity conservation. They provide breeding, hibernation, feeding and basking sites for an array of fauna including mammals, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates. Logs also function as critical refuges during forest fires and provide remnant islands from which fauna and flora can recolonise areas post-fire. However, knowledge about the impacts of prescribed burning on logs and their associated biodiversity is incomplete. This project will assess the conservation value of logs in the stringy bark woodlands of south-west Victoria and determine how logs are impacted by different prescribed burning regimes.