Fires in 'The Wire Paddock': managing grasslands to protect forests

Recent research has suggested that fire is an important tool in the management of high altitude grasslands in northwestern Tasmania. In the context of debate about how fire should be used, evidence is provided of the existence of a traditional burning strategy employed by hunters and cattle-men in the Upper Mersey Valley in northern Tasmania which has been successful in maintaining the extent and species diversity of montane grasslands. More recent research has revealed not only that this strategy was officially studied and burning mapped in the 1950s but that the Tasmanian Forestry Commission actually used it in the 1970s as a wildfire management tool. This new information adds weight to the argument that systematic evaluation of the role of fire in contemporary grassland managment is warranted.