A group of researchers look up from the forest floor in Victoria.

Forests & fire

About

Forests provide ecosystem services that are critical to humans and the sustainability of our environment. Our research focuses on management of critically important native forests and woodlands, including forest ecology, landscape restoration, wildlife conservation, ecologically sustainable forestry, and the effects of fire and climate.

Projects

Researchers undertake projects to study biodiversity and the impacts of fire and invasive animal and plant control on mammals, birds and reptiles inhabiting a range of vegetation types.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

The Centre for Water and Landscape Dynamics (WALD) sits within the Fenner School of Environment & Society, and combines satellite observations, field data and prediction models to measure, monitor and forecast natural hazards, natural resources and the environment.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

Widespread death of eucalypts has been observed in forested landscapes across Australia, including the alpine regions of Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

Developing machine learning algorithms to identify forest structural characteristics from earth observation data on a regional scale, Australia

Student intake

Open for Honours students

People

The Fenner School has a number of projects that examine bushfires – how it behaves, its effects on the landscape and ecosystems, and how we can monitor and manage it in natural and built environments.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

A PhD candidate at the ANU Fenner School is conducting research to find ways that will reduce the risk mature eucalypts pose to people and infrastructure in urban environments. One part of this study will calculate how many potentially dangerous branches are dropped by mature eucalypts over the period of a year.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

  • Dr Darren Le Roux, ACT Government
  • Assoc Prof Samantha Capon, Griffith University

Members

Affiliate

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Photo of Associate Professor Cris Brack

Honorary Associate Professor

Emeritus Professor

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Academic staff

Senior Lecturer

Photo of Claire Foster

Research Fellow

Photo of Associate Professor Gibbons

Professor

Peter stands and faces the camera in a blue shirt.

Professor

Research Fellow

Student

Articles

More than a dozen years later, and after detailed studies following the 2009 fires and again after the 2019-2020 Black Summer fires, the science shows that logged forests always burn at greater severity than intact forests.

Read the article

As coal-fired climate change makes bushfires in Australia worse, governments are ramping up hazard-reduction burning. But our new research shows the practice can actually make forests more flammable.

Read the article
Homes overlook a forest in the wildland-urban interface in Arizona. Marius von Essen

In a study published Feb. 7, 2022, a team of climate scientists mapped out where vegetation is creating the highest fire risks across the western U.S. They were surprised to discover that the fastest rate of population growth by far has been in the areas with the highest fire risk.

Read the article

As climate change worsens, bushfires are likely to become more intense and frequent. We must find new ways of managing bushfires to prevent catastrophic events - satellite data can help in this task.

Read the article
Image of Bushfire smoke in Lyneham, Canberra

Only one in five people sought medical attention but half reported anxiety, depression and sleep loss.

Read the article
Graphic showing a map to explain how the national scorecard will operate

For the first time, the public will be able to track the health of those two key conservation areas as part of a $10 million program to boost science and park management.

Read the article