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

Forests & fire

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.

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 at the Fenner School have been working in the Tumut and nearby Nanangroe regions west of Canberra for 25 year. The work is exploring the impacts on biodiversity of plantation establishment on semi-cleared farmland.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

Members

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News

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.

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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.

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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.

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Image of Bushfire smoke in Lyneham, Canberra

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

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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.

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If you’ve wandered through a forest, you’ve probably dodged dead, rotting branches or stumps scattered on the ground. This is “deadwood”, and it plays several vital roles in forest ecosystems.

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