Tag Archives: research

New research projects

The recently established NSW Bushfire & Natural Hazards Research Centre (see post below of 24 July) has published their research program. Most of the 19 projects are bushfire-related, covering topics as diverse as smoke hazards, fuel management, early detection of lightning fires, backburning, ecological management, fire retardant impacts and utilising FESM (fire extent severity mapping).

NSW Bushfire & Natural Hazards Research Centre

The NSW Bushfire and Natural Hazards Research Centre was established in January 2023 as an outcome of the 2020 NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry.

The centre “unites researchers from partner universities with government agencies, frontline emergency services, Aboriginal people and community stakeholders in a collective effort to tackle the challenges posed by bushfires and other natural hazards”.

Fire and old growth vegetation

Two recent media articles have reported on research looking at the role of fire in tall, wet forests, and ‘long unburnt’ vegetation. These reports contribute to the ongoing discussion about the role of fire in the Australian environment and how fire can be managed with biodiversity conservation in mind.

‘Long unburnt’ habitat is disappearing

Researchers report that changing fire patterns are having a major impact on biodiversity. Areas that have escaped fire for decades or centuries feature vital structures for wildlife such as logs and tree hollows, and are critical habitat for many threatened species. They found that this long unburnt habitat is in severe decline.

Biodiversity impacts of Black Summer…and the future

Early in 2023 the CSIRO published an important new book: Australia’s Megafires – Biodiversity Impacts and Lessons from 2019-2020. With five author-editors and 190 scientific, management and expert contributors, this encyclopaedic work focuses on the impacts of the fires in south-east Australia.

How effective is aerial firefighting?

In January 2023 the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) released a tranche of reports related to the Black Summer fires (2019-2020). One of these was: Investigating the suitability of aviation tracking data for use in bushfire suppression effectiveness research.