Fire regimes in mountain ash forest: Evidence from forest age structure, extinction models and wildlife habitat

Michael A. McCarthy*, A. Malcolm Gill, David B. Lindenmayer

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    135 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The mean interval between tree-killing fires in mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) forest was inferred from information on the age structure of unlogged forest, the prevalence of mountain ash trees in the landscape, and on the abundance of live and dead hollow-bearing trees. The analyses were based on models of the local extinction and recolonization of forest patches by mountain ash trees and of the development of hollow-bearing trees in response to time since fire. The results of the analyses suggested that the mean interval between tree-killing fires was between ≃75 and 150 years in mountain ash forest. Data on mortality of mountain ash trees suggest that approximately half the trees survive fire, making the mean interval between all fires equal to 37-75 years. The model predicts that the proportion of the landscape occupied by mountain ash will decline sharply as the mean fire interval decreases, suggesting that changes in the fire regime may have abrupt and major effects on ecosystem properties.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)193-203
    Number of pages11
    JournalForest Ecology and Management
    Volume124
    Issue number2-3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 6 Dec 1999

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Fire regimes in mountain ash forest: Evidence from forest age structure, extinction models and wildlife habitat'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this