Bark traits, decomposition and flammability of Australian forest trees

Bark flammability as a fire-response trait for subalpine trees

Relationships between the flammability properties of a given plant and its chances of survival after a fire still remain unknown. We hypothesize that the bark flammability of a tree reduces the potential for tree survival following surface fires, and that if tree resistance to fire is provided by a thick insulating bark, the latter must be few flammable. We test, on subalpine tree species, the ...

Flammability of Australian forests

1CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia 2School of Resources, Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 0200, Australia 3Email: [email protected] 4Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University College, University of NSW, Campbell, ACT 2602, Australia 5Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, Australia 6Snowy Mountains Region Fire ...

Differences in Leaf Flammability, Leaf Traits and Flammability-Trait Relationships between Native and Exotic Plant Species of Dry Sclerophyll Forest

The flammability of plant leaves influences the spread of fire through vegetation. Exotic plants invading native vegetation may increase the spread of bushfires if their leaves are more flammable than native leaves. We compared fresh-leaf and dry-leaf flammability (time to ignition) between 52 native and 27 exotic plant species inhabiting dry sclerophyll forest. We found that mean time to ignit...

Interactions between Fine Wood Decomposition and Flammability

Fire is nearly ubiquitous in the terrestrial biosphere, with profound effects on earth surface carbon storage, climate, and forest functions. Fuel quality is an important parameter determining forest fire behavior, which differs among both tree species and organs. Fuel quality is not static: when dead plant material decomposes, its structural, chemical, and water dynamic properties change, with...

Quantitative Chemical Defense Traits, Litter Decomposition and Forest Ecosystem Functioning