@article {bnh-3453, title = {Contemporary fire regime risks to key ecological assets and processes in north Australian savannas}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, volume = {24}, year = {2015}, month = {05/2015}, pages = {857-870}, chapter = {857}, abstract = {

Despite the intact appearance of relatively unmodified north Australian savannas, mounting evidence indicates that contemporary fire regimes characterised by frequent, extensive and severe late dry season wildfires are having deleterious effects on a range of regional water, soil erosion, biodiversity conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions values. For the high rainfall (\>1000\ mm year{\textendash}1) savannas (426\ 000\ km2), we assessed the spatial effects of contemporary fire regimes within the context of ecosystem response models and three plausible alternative fire management scenarios on ecosystem attributes. Over the 2008{\textendash}12 assessment period, mean annual fire frequency (0.53) comprised mostly late dry season fires. Although spatially variable, contemporary fire regimes resulted in substantial GHG emissions, hill slope erosion and suspended sediment transport, a slight decline in carbon biomass and slight positive effects on fire-vulnerable vegetation. Based on available climate change models and strategic fire management practice, we show that, relative to business-as-usual, improved fire management involving strategic prescribed burning results in substantial benefits to most ecosystem attributes, including under enhanced climate change conditions, whereas in the absence of improved fire management, climate change results in substantially worse outcomes.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF14197}, url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/WF14197}, author = {Andrew C. Edwards and Jeremy Russell-Smith and Meyer, C.P. (Mick)} } @article {BF-4376, title = {Northern Fire Mapping: Developing Robust Fire Extent and Severity Mapping Products for the Tropical Savannas Final Report}, year = {2014}, month = {03/2013}, abstract = {This final report summarises the activities and deliverables undertaken and provided since the commencement of the project in September 2010. The project staff have been with the project for its entirety including Researcher Dr Andrew Edwards and Project Leaders Drs Jeremy Russell-Smith and Mick Meyer. The project has been a major success. Key support to the project came from Bushfires NT staff and Research colleagues, the indigenous ranger groups and conservation and fire agencies, and Bushfire CRC administrative staff. Core risk management components of the project are to receive ongoing funding in the new Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC program. The main theme of the project was to develop fire severity mapping for application to fire management in the tropical savannas and rangelands, and to then apply these data to ecological-risk assessments including greenhouse gas emissions, tree carbon sequestration, biodiversity and erosion. Both activities were successful with fire severity mapping displayed for scrutiny on the North Australia Fire Information website, and a seminal paper outlining the ecological analyses and results soon to be submitted for publication.}, isbn = {978-0-9875218-4-2}, author = {Jeremy Russell-Smith and Meyer, C.P. (Mick) and Andrew C. Edwards} } @conference {BF-4284, title = {Smoke impacts from prescribed burning in Victoria; developing a risk climatology}, booktitle = {20th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation}, year = {2013}, month = {12/2013}, pages = {200-206}, chapter = {200}, abstract = {Following an increase in the frequency of extreme fire weather in recent years and the subsequent loss of life and damage to property, fire agencies in Australia are under pressure to increase fuel reduction burning. However, at the same time, there is an increasing pressure to reduce the risk of population exposure to smoke. Reconciling these competing demands is a major challenge. Currently, wind speed and direction are the main guides used by agencies for estimating regions at risk from smoke plume strikes. However, plume dispersion models and computing resources are now sufficiently developed so that the risk to towns and cities from planned fuel reduction and agricultural fires can also be assessed using these tools. This is of particular relevance in north central Victoria, Gippsland and the Riverina where there is a need to identify those areas of forest and farmland most likely to pose a smoke hazard to nearby towns during the autumn and spring burning seasons. In this paper, we introduce a numerical modelling system which can be used to undertake an assessment of the risk to communities resulting from smoke generated by fuel reduction burning. The paper demonstrates how the system can be used in an inverse modelling mode to investigate the relationship between sensitive receptor- and upwind source regions. Using the Ovens Valley in north-eastern Victoria as an example, we apply the CSIRO dispersion model, The Air Pollution Model ( TAPM) coupled to the CSIRO Chemical Transport Model (CTM) to simulate the dispersion of PM2.5 emitted daily between 11:00 and 16:00 during April 2009 from each 3 km x 3 km grid cell in a 50 x 50 cell domain centred on Harrietville. From these data we can assess the relative impact of each source cell on any receptor cell within the domain. Taking the towns of Myrtleford, Harrietville and Mt Beauty as test cases, we find that the greatest likelihood of smoke impact is from fires close to the receptor cell, however more distant sources are also significant, with the strongest located on the valley slopes. Vegetated source areas in the bottom of the valleys and on ridges have least impact. Harrietville and Mt Beauty, which lie in different valleys, nevertheless have similar source risk distributions, in contrast to Myrtleford, which lies downstream of Harrietville on the Ovens River, and has a totally different source risk profile. Significantly, there is no indication of a prevailing flow for any of the three receptor cells. We discuss how the system can be used to provide a self-consistent framework for testing smoke transport screening approaches for use by fire managers for planning prescribed burning schedules.}, keywords = {Fuel reduction burning, screening modelling, screening tools, smoke hazard, transport modelling}, url = {http://www.mssanz.org.au/modsim2013/A3/meyer2.pdf}, author = {Meyer, C.P. (Mick) and Lee, S and Cope, ME} } @article {BF-3787, title = {Modelling the potential for prescribed burning to mitigate carbon emissions from wildfires in fire-prone forests of Australia}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/WF11023.htm}, author = {Gill, A. Malcolm and Hutley, LB and Garry D. Cook and Jeremy Russell-Smith and Stefan Maier and Roxburgh, Stephen and Meyer, C.P. (Mick) and Damian J. Barrett and Keith, H and Ross Bradstock and Geoffrey J. Cary and Owen Price and Williams, RJ} } @article {2041, title = {Exposure to bushfire smoke during prescribed burns and wildfires: Firefighters{\textquoteright} exposure risks and options}, journal = {Environment International}, year = {2010}, month = {Oct-10}, abstract = {Firefighters are exposed to known health-damaging air pollutants present in bushfire smoke and poorly managed exposure can result in serious health issues. A better understanding of exposure levels and the major factors influencing exposures is crucial for the development of mitigation strategies to minimise exposure risks and adverse health impacts. This study monitored air toxics within the breathing zone of firefighters at prescribed burns and at wildfires in Australia. The results showed that exposure levels were highly variable, with higher exposures (sometimes exceeding occupational exposure standards) associated with particular work tasks (such as patrol and suppression) and with certain burn conditions. The majority of firefighter{\textquoteright}s exposures were at low and moderate levels (~ 60\%), however considerable attention should be given to the high (~ 30\%) and very high (6\%) exposure risk situations for which acute and chronic health risks are very likely and for which control strategies should be developed and implemented to minimise health risks. }, issn = {1604120}, doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2010.09.005}, author = {Reisen, Fabienne and Hansen, Dane and Meyer, C.P. (Mick)} } @article {BF-2415, title = {Improving estimates of savanna burning emissions for greenhouse accounting in northern Australia: limitations, challenges, applications}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, volume = {18}, year = {2009}, month = {2009}, pages = {1}, abstract = {Although biomass burning of savannas is recognised as a major global source of greenhouse gas emissions, quantification remains problematic with resulting regional emissions estimates often differing markedly. Here we undertake a critical assessment of Australia{\textquoteright}s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGGI) savanna burning emissions methodology. We describe the methodology developed for, and results and associated uncertainties derived from, a landscape-scale emissions abatement project in fire-prone western Arnhem Land, northern Australia. The methodology incorporates (i) detailed fire history and vegetation structure and fuels type mapping derived from satellite imagery; (ii) field-based assessments of fuel load accumulation, burning efficiencies (patchiness, combustion efficiency, ash retention) and N : C composition; and (iii) application of standard, regionally derived emission factors. Importantly, this refined methodology differs from the NGGI by incorporation of fire seasonality and severity components, and substantial improvements in baseline data. We consider how the application of a fire management program aimed at shifting the seasonality of burning (from one currently dominated by extensive late dry season wildfires to one where strategic fire management is undertaken earlier in the year) can provide significant project-based emissions abatement. The approach has wider application to fire-prone savanna systems dominated by anthropogenic sources of ignition.}, doi = {10.1071/WF08009}, author = {Jeremy Russell-Smith and Murphy, Brett P. and Meyer, C.P. (Mick) and Garry D. Cook and Stefan Maier and Andrew C. Edwards and Schatz, Jon and Brocklehurst, Peter} } @article {BF-2370, title = {Bushfires {\textquoteright}down under{\textquoteright}: patterns and implications of contemporary Australian landscape burning}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, volume = {16}, year = {2007}, month = {2007}, pages = {361}, abstract = {Australia is among the most fire-prone of continents. While national fire management policy is focused on irregular and comparatively smaller fires in densely settled southern Australia, this comprehensive assessment of continental-scale fire patterning (1997{\textendash}2005) derived from ~1 km2 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery shows that fire activity occurs predominantly in the savanna landscapes of monsoonal northern Australia. Statistical models that relate the distribution of large fires to a variety of biophysical variables show that, at the continental scale, rainfall seasonality substantially explains fire patterning. Modelling results, together with data concerning seasonal lightning incidence, implicate the importance of anthropogenic ignition sources, especially in the northern wet{\textendash}dry tropics and arid Australia, for a substantial component of recurrent fire extent. Contemporary patterns differ markedly from those under Aboriginal occupancy, are causing significant impacts on biodiversity, and, under current patterns of human population distribution, land use, national policy and climate change scenarios, are likely to prevail, if not intensify, for decades to come. Implications of greenhouse gas emissions from savanna burning, especially seasonal emissions of CO2, are poorly understood and contribute to important underestimation of the significance of savanna emissions both in Australian and probably in international greenhouse gas inventories. A significant challenge for Australia is to address annual fire extent in fire-prone Australian savannas.}, doi = {10.1071/WF07018}, author = {Jeremy Russell-Smith and Yates, Cameron P. and Whitehead, Peter J. and Smith, Richard and Craig, Ron and Allan, Grant E. and Thackway, Richard and Frakes, Ian and Cridland, Shane and Meyer, C.P. (Mick) and Gill, A. Malcolm} }