Rainforest flammabililty: Determining the conditions for fire ignition and spread within fire-sensitive vegetation

The ‘ecological drift’ model has been widely accepted as an explanation for the role of fire in patterning the vegetation of western Tasmania. Within this model rainforest is considered the climax vegetation, capable of regenerating in the absence of a major disturbance event, such as fire. Rainforest is considered to be a fire sensitive community, as many rainforest species are incapable of surviving a fire event. Although fire in rainforest is rare, large rainforest fires have occurred in the past. These events are likely to increase with future climate change. It therefore becomes important to understand the conditions under which fire will sustain and spread within rainforest as this will aid in protective measures, such as hazard-reduction burning, and the allocation of resources during a wildfire. My research will examine the relationships between rainforest microclimate and standard meteorological conditions as well as determining the flammability of various rainforest components. It is hoped that this information will assist in the development of a predictive index for fuel moisture within rainforest. This may be an improvement to the current Soil Dryness Index or an adaptation to other current predictive indices such as the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System.