@article {BF-3096,
	title = {Fungi and fire in Australian ecosystems: a review of current knowledge, management implications and future directions},
	journal = {Australian Journal of Botany},
	volume = {59},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011},
	pages = {70},
	abstract = {Fungi are essential components of all ecosystems in roles including symbiotic partners, decomposers and
nutrient cyclers and as a source of food for vertebrates and invertebrates. Fire changes the environment in which fungi live by
affecting soil structure, nutrient availability, organic and inorganic substrates and other biotic components with which fungi
interact, particularly mycophagous animals. We review the literature on fire and fungi in Australia, collating studies that
include sites with different time since fire or different fire regimes. The studies used a variety of methods for survey and
identification of fungi and focussed on different groups of fungi, with an emphasis on fruit-bodies of epigeal macrofungi and a
lack of studies on microfungi in soil or plant tissues. There was a lack of replication of fire treatment effects in some studies.
Nevertheless, most studies reported some consequence of fire on the fungal community. Studies on fire and fungi were
concentrated in eucalypt forest in south-west and south-eastern Australia, and were lacking for ecosystems such as grasslands
and tropical savannahs. The effects of fire on fungi are highly variable and depend on factors such as soil and vegetation type
and variation in fire intensity and history, including the length of time between fires. There is a post-fire flush of fruit-bodies of
pyrophilous macrofungi, but there are also fungi that prefer long unburnt vegetation. The few studies that tested the effect of
fire regimes in relation to the intervals between burns did not yield consistent results. The functional roles of fungi in
ecosystems and the interactions of fire with these functions are explained and discussed. Responses of fungi to fire are
reviewed for each fungal trophic group, and also in relation to interactions between fungi and vertebrates and invertebrates.
Recommendations are made to include monitoring of fungi in large-scale fire management research programs and to integrate
the use of morphological and molecular methods of identification. Preliminary results suggest that fire mosaics promote
heterogeneity in the fungal community. Management of substrates could assist in preserving fungal diversity in the absence of
specific information on fungi.},
	doi = {10.1071/BT10059},
	url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file\&file_id=BT10059.pdf},
	author = {McMullan-Fisher, Sapphire J. M. and May, Tom W. and Robinson, Richard and Bell, Tina and Lebel, Teresa and Catcheside, Pam and York, Alan}
}
@article {BF-3095,
	title = {Prescribed burning: how can it work to conserve the things we value?},
	journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire},
	volume = {20},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011},
	pages = {721},
	abstract = {Prescribed burning is a commonly applied management tool, and there has been considerable debate over the efficacy of its application. We review data relating to the effectiveness of prescribed burning in Australia. Specifically, we address two questions: (1) to what extent can fuel reduction burning reduce the risk of loss of human life and economic assets posed from wildfires? (2) To what extent can prescribed burning be used to reduce the risk of biodiversity loss? Data suggest that prescribed burning can achieve a reduction in the extent of wildfires; however, at such levels, the result is an overall increase in the total area of the landscape burnt. Simulation modelling indicates that fuel reduction has less influence than weather on the extent of unplanned fire. The need to incorporate ecological values into prescribed burning programmes is becoming increasingly important. Insufficient data are available to determine if existing programs have been successful. There are numerous factors that prevent the implementation of better prescribed burning practices; most relate to a lack of clearly defined, measurable objectives. An adaptive risk management framework combined with enhanced partnerships between scientists and fire-management agencies is necessary to ensure that ecological and fuel reduction objectives are achieved.},
	doi = {10.1071/WF09131},
	author = {Trent Penman and Christie, Fiona J. and Andersen, A. N. and Ross Bradstock and Geoffrey J. Cary and Henderson, M. K. and Owen Price and Tran, C. and Wardle, G. M. and Williams, RJ and York, Alan}
}
@article {2046,
	title = {Climate and recent fire history affect fuel loads in Eucalyptus forests: Implications for fire management in a changing climate},
	journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
	volume = {260},
	year = {2010},
	month = {2010/10/15/},
	pages = {1791 - 1797},
	abstract = {Predicted changes to global climates are expected to affect natural fire regimes. Many studies suggest that the impact of these effects could be minimised by reducing fuel loads through prescribed burning. Fuel loads are dynamic and are affected by a range of factors including fire and climate. In this study, we use a 22-year dataset to examine the relative influence of climate and fire history on rates of litterfall and decomposition, and hence fuel loads, in a coastal Eucalypt forest in south-eastern Australia. Litterfall and decomposition were both affected by temperature, recent rainfall and fire history variables. Over the study period prescribed burning immediately reduced fuel loads, with fuel loads reaching pre-burn levels within 3 years of a fire. Modelling fuel loads under predicted climate change scenarios for 2070 suggests that while fuel loads are reduced, the levels are not significantly lower than those recorded in the study. Based on these predictions it is unlikely that the role or value of prescribed burning in these forests will change under the scenarios tested in this study.
},
	keywords = {Accumulation, Climate change, Decomposition, Forest management, Prescribed burning},
	isbn = {0378-1127},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T6X-511H38D-1/2/2825befe9a608c7cb83a0a58406d25a8},
	author = {Trent Penman and York, Alan}
}
@article {BF-2410,
	title = {Sampling downed coarse woody debris in fire-prone eucalypt woodlands},
	journal = {Forest Ecology and Management},
	volume = {259},
	year = {2010},
	month = {01/2010},
	pages = {440 - 445},
	abstract = {Downed coarse woody debris (DCWD) plays an important role in ecosystem processes and should be considered in land management decisions. Unfortunately accurate quantification of its abundance is difficult, due to its patchy distribution. This is especially problematic in woodland ecosystems where DCWD is relatively scarce, unevenly distributed and smaller in size than in other forest types. This study compared the efficacy of the line intersect and strip plot methods to sample properties of DCWD at woodland sites with differing fire histories. Although measures of abundance using the two methods did not differ statistically, the line intersect method had 20\% less variability in the data, was quicker to perform and made it easier to locate individual pieces of DCWD than the strip plot method. The results of this study indicate that transects of 100 m or less are insufficient for estimating DCWD volume in woodlands. An acceptable level of precision was reached at approximately 450 m at very recently burnt sites and 700 m at long unburnt sites when only transect length was considered. However when taking both transect length and number of replicates into account, an acceptable level of precision was reached at 500 m when sampling a minimum of 20 sites. It is therefore recommended that pilot studies should be conducted to determine appropriate sampling intensities in previously unsampled areas as DCWD volume estimates are sensitive to the rate at which variance changes with increasing transect length. This is particularly important when there is variation in the disturbance history of the sites. However, if it is not possible to conduct pilot studies, the requirement would be to sample line intersect transects of at least 500 m, at a minimum of 20 sites in woodland systems.},
	doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2009.10.041},
	author = {Miehs, Anne and York, Alan and Tolhurst, K.G. and Di Stefano, J and Bell, Tina}
}
@article {BF-1112,
	title = {Global climate change and litter decomposition: more frequent fire slows decomposition and increases the functional importance of inverterates.},
	journal = {Global Change Biology},
	year = {2009},
	url = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/gcb/2009/00000015/00000012/art00013},
	author = {Brennan, KEC and Christie, Fiona J. and York, Alan}
}
@article {BF-1118,
	title = {No detectable impacts of fequent burning on foliar C and N or insect herbivory in an Australian eucalypt forest},
	journal = {Applied Vegetation Science},
	year = {2009},
	author = {Christie, Fiona J. and York, Alan}
}
@article {BF-2399,
	title = {No detectable impacts of frequent burning on foliar C and N or insect herbivory in an Australian eucalypt forest},
	journal = {Applied Vegetation Science},
	volume = {12},
	year = {2009},
	month = {08/2009},
	pages = {376 - 384},
	abstract = {Question: What is the effect of frequent low intensity prescribed fire on foliar nutrients and insect herbivory in an Australian eucalypt forest?

Location: Lorne State Forest (Bulls Ground Frequent Burning Study), mid-north coast, New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: Eighteen independent sites were studied representing three experimental fire regimes: fire exclusion (at least 45 years), frequently burnt (every 3 years for 35 years) and fire exclusion followed by the recent introduction of frequent burning (two fires in 6 years). Mature leaves were collected from the canopy of Eucalyptus pilularis trees at each site and analysed for nutrients and damage by invertebrate herbivores.

Results: Almost 75\% of all leaves showed some signs of leaf damage. The frequency of past fires had no effect on carbon and nitrogen content of canopy leaves. These results were consistent with assessments of herbivore damage where no significant differences were found in the amount of invertebrate herbivory damage to leaves across fire treatments.

Conclusions: This eucalypt forest displayed a high degree of resilience to both frequent burning and fire exclusion as determined by foliar nutrients and damage by insect herbivores. Fire frequency had no detectable ecological impact on this aspect of forest health.},
	doi = {10.1111/j.1654-109X.2009.01033.x},
	author = {Christie, Fiona J. and York, Alan}
}
@inbook {BF-1117,
	title = {Impacts of grazing and burning on terrestrial invertebrate assemblages in dry eucalypt forests of north-eastern New South Wales: implications for biodiversity conservation},
	booktitle = {Conservation of Australia{\^a}{\texteuro}{\texttrademark}s Forest Fauna},
	year = {2004},
	pages = {845 - 859},
	publisher = {Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales},
	organization = {Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales},
	edition = {second},
	author = {York, Alan and Tarnowski, J},
	editor = {Lunney, D}
}
