Fire behaviour on engineered landforms stabilised with high biomass buffel grass

Ecological Engineering

Volumn 101, Issue , 2017, Pages 237-246

  McKenna, Phill ^a   Glenn, Vanessa ^a   Erskine, Peter D ^a   Doley, David ^a   Sturgess, Andrew ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND   (Australia)

^b Queensland Fire Emergency Services   (Australia)

Author keywords

Australia; Central Queensland; Fire exclusion; Pasture; Reclamation; Rehabilitation

Indexed keywords

COAL MINES; ECOLOGY; ECOSYSTEMS; FUELS; GEOMORPHOLOGY; LAND RECLAMATION; LANDFORMS; PATIENT REHABILITATION; VEGETATION;

AUSTRALIA; ECOLOGICAL ENGINEER; EXPERIMENTAL FIRES; FIRE EXCLUSION; FIRE SPREAD MODEL; LANDSCAPE RECONSTRUCTION; PASTURE; QUEENSLAND;

FIRES;

BIOMASS; COAL MINE; DISTURBANCE; ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING; FIRE BEHAVIOR; GRASS; GRASSLAND; LAND MANAGEMENT; LAND RECLAMATION; LANDFORM; LANDSCAPE; PASTURE; RECONSTRUCTION; VEGETATION TYPE; WOODLAND;

AUSTRALIA; BOWEN BASIN; QUEENSLAND;

CENCHRUS CILIARIS; POACEAE;

EID: 85012069903     PISSN: 09258574     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.01.038     Document Type: Article

References (69)

1. Allan, G.E., Southgate, R.I., Fire regimes in the spinifex landscapes of Australia. Bradstock, R.A., Williams, J., Gill, A., (eds.) Flammable Australia: The Fire Regimes and Biodiversity of a Continent, 2002, Cambridge University Press, 145–176.
2. Anderson, S.A.J., Anderson, W.R., Hollis, J.J., Botha, E.J., A simple method for field-based grassland curing assessment. Int. J. Wildl. Fire 20 (2011), 804–814.
3. Brooks, M.L., D'Antonio, C.M., Richardson, D.M., Grace, J.B., Keeley, J.E., DiTomaso, J.M., Hobbs, R.J., Pellant, M., Pyke, D.A., Effects of invasive alien plants on fire regimes. Bioscience 54 (2004), 677–688.
4. Butler, D.B., Fairfax, R.J., Buffel grass and fire in a Gidgee and Brigalow woodland: a case study from Central Queensland. Ecol. Manag. Restor. 4 (2003), 120–125.
5. Byram, G.M., Combustion of forest fuels. Davis, K., (eds.) Forest Fire: Control and Use, 1959, McGraw-Hill, New York, 69–89.
6. CFA, Grassland Curing Guide. Fire and Emergency Management, Country Fire Authority. 2014, Country Fire Authority, Melbourne, Victoria.
7. CFA, Grassland Curing Field Card, Country Fire Authority. 2014, Country Fire Authority, Melbourne, Victoria.
8. Chaffey, C.J., Grant, C.D., Fire management implications of fuel loads and vegetation structure in rehabilitated sand mines near Newcastle, Australia. For. Ecol. Manage. 129 (2000), 269–278.
9. Cheney, P., Sullivan, A., Grassfires. Fuel, Weather and Fire Behaviour. second ed., 2008, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.
10. Christie, E.K., Physiological responses of semiarid grasses. II: The pattern of root growth in relation to external phosphorus concentration. Aust. J. Agr. Res. 26 (1975), 437–446.
11. Christie, E.K., Moorby, J., Physiological responses of semiarid grasses. I: The influence of phosphorus supply on growth and phosphorus absorption. Aust. J. Agr. Res. 26 (1975), 423–436.
12. Clarke, H., Lucas, C., Smith, P., Changes in Australian fire weather between 1973 and 2010. Int. J. Climatol. 33 (2013), 931–944, 10.1002/joc.3480.
13. Coaldrake, J.E., Russell, M.J., Rehabilitation with pasture after open-cut coal mining at three sites in the Bowen Coal Basin of Queensland. Reclam. Rev. 1 (1970), 1–8.
14. Cook, G.D., Fire management and minesite rehabilitation in a frequently burnt tropical savanna. Austral. Ecol. 37 (2012), 686–692, 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02375.x.
15. Cruz, M.G., Gould, J.S., Kidnie, S., Bessell, R., Nichols, D., Slijepcevic, A., Effects of curing on grassfires: II. Effect of grass senescence on the rate of fire spread. Int. J. Wildl. Fire, 24, 2015, 838, 10.1071/wf14146.
16. CSIRO, CSIRO Grassland Fire Spread Meter. 1997.
17. D'Antonio, C.M., Vitousek, P.M., Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass fire cycle and global change. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 23 (1992), 63–87, 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.23.1.63.
18. Dale, N., The progress of rehabilitation. FNQ Division: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Closure Planning Workshop, EIANZ, QLD, 2015, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Emerald, QLD, 18.
19. DEHP, EM1122 Rehabilitation Requirements for Mining Resource Activities. 2014, DEHP, Brisbane.
20. DNRM, Queensland Coal – Mines and Advanced Projects. 2016, Dep. Nat. Resour. Mines, Queensl. Gov., Brisbane, 8.
21. Douglas, M.M., Setterfield, S.A., Rossiter, N., Barratt, J., Hutley, L.B., Effects of mission grass (Pennisetum polystachion (L.) Schult.) invasion on fuel loads and nitrogen availability in a northern Australia tropical savanna. Sindel, B.M., Johnson, S.B., (eds.) Fourteenth Australian Weeds Conference, 2004, Weed Society of N.S.W., 179–181.
22. Edye, L.A., A comparison of twenty-seven introduced grasses in two dry-tropical environments in northern Queensland. Anim. Prod. Sci. 15 (1975), 788–794.
23. Erskine, P.D., Fletcher, A.T., Novel Ecosystems created by coal mines in Central Queensland's Bowen Basin. Ecol. Process., 2013, 2.
24. Erskine, P.D., Mulligan, D.R., Olsen, M.F., Kirsch, B., Roe, P., Completion criteria for rehabilitated forest ecosystems on mined land – should they be based on unmined reference sites?. Fourie, A., Tibbett, M., Wiertz, J., (eds.) Mine Closure 2007 Proceedings of the Second International Seminar on Mine Closure, 2007, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Santiago, Chile, 211–216.
25. ESRI, ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10.2. 2013.
26. Eyre, T.J., Wang, J., Venz, M.F., Chilcott, C., Whish, G., Buffel grass in Queenslands semi-arid woodlands response to local and landscape scale variables and relationship with grass forb and reptile species. Rangel. J. 31 (2009), 293–305.
27. Fairfax, R.J., Fensham, R.J., The effect of exotic pasture development on floristic diversity in Central Queensland, Australia. Biol. Conserv. 94 (2000), 11–21.
28. Fensham, R.J., Donald, S., Dwyer, J.M., Sheppard, A., Propagule pressure, not fire or cattle grazing, promotes invasion of buffel grass Cenchrus ciliaris. J. Appl. Ecol. 50 (2013), 138–146, 10.1111/1365-2664.12009.
29. Fensham, R.J., Wang, J., Kilgour, C., The relative impacts of grazing, fire and invasion by buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) on the floristic composition of a rangeland savanna ecosystem. Rangel. J., 37, 2015, 227, 10.1071/rj14097.
30. Fogarty, L.G., Pearce, H.G., Draft field guides for determining fuel loads and biomass in New Zealand vegetation types. 2000, Fire Technology Transfer Note Number 21, New Zealand.
31. Franks, A.J., The ecological consequences of buffel grass Cenchrus ciliaris establishment within remnant vegetation of Queensland. Pac. Conserv. Biol. 8 (2002), 99–107.
32. Grant, C.D., State-and-transition successional model for bauxite mining rehabilitation in the Jarrah forest of Western Australia. Restor. Ecol. 14 (2006), 28–37, 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2006.00102.x.
33. Grant, C.D., Post-burn vegetation development of rehabilitated bauxite mines in western Australia. For. Ecol. Manage. 186 (2003), 147–157, 10.1016/s0378-1127(03)00233-0.
34. Grant, C.D., Norman, M.M.A., Smith, A.M.S., Smith, M., Fire and silvicultural management of restored bauxite mines in Western Australia. Restor. Ecol. 15 (2007), 127–136.
35. Grigg, A., Shelton, M., Mullen, B., The nature and management of rehabilitated pastures on open-cut coal mines in Central Queensland. Trop. Grassl., 2000.
36. Grigg, A.H., Grant, C.D., Overstorey growth response to thinning, burning and fertiliser in 10–13-year-old rehabilitated jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest after bauxite mining in south-western Australia. Aust. For. 72 (2009), 80–86, 10.1080/00049158.2009.10676293.
37. Harwood, M.R., Hacker, J.B., Mott, J.J., Field evaluation of seven grasses for use in the revegetation of lands disturbed by coal mining in Central Queensland. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 39 (1999), 307–316.
38. Haydock, K.P., Shaw, N.H., The comparative yield method for estimating dry matter yield of pasture. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 15 (1975), 663–670.
39. Herath, D.N., Lamont, B.B., Persistence of resprouting species after fire in natural and post mine restored shrublands in SW Aust. Appl. Veg. Sci. 12 (2009), 451–458, 10.1111/j.1654-109X.2009.01040.x.
40. Hines, F., Tolhurst, K.G., Wilson, A.A.G., McCarthy, G.J., Overall Fuel Hazard Assessment Guide. Fire and Adaptive Management Report No. 82, Fire and Adaptive Management., 2010, Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment, Melbourne.
41. Humphreys, L.R., Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) in Australia. Trop. Grassl. 1 (1967), 123–143.
42. Jackson, J., Is there a relationship between herbaceous species richness and buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)?. Austral. Ecol. 30 (2005), 505–517.
43. Kidnie, S., Cruz, M.G., Gould, J., Nichols, D., Anderson, W.R., Bessell, R., Effects of curing on grassfires: I. Fuel dynamics in a senescing grassland. Int. J. Wildl. Fire, 24, 2015, 828, 10.1071/wf14145.
44. Kuleshov, Y., Mackerras, D., Darveniza, M., Spatial distribution and frequency of lightning activity and lightning flash density maps for Australia. J. Geophys. Res., 2006, 111, 10.1029/2005jd006982.
45. Leonard, J., Opie, K., Newnham, G., Blanchi, R., A new methodology for state-wide mapping of bushfire prone areas in Queensland. 2014, CSIRO, Australia.
46. Marsden-Smedley, J.B., Rudman, T., Pyrke, A., Catchpole, W.R., Buttongrass moorland fire-behaviour prediction and management. Tasforests 11 (1999), 87–107.
47. Marshall, V.M., Lewis, M.M., Ostendorf, B., Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) as an invader and threat to biodiversity in arid environments: a review. J. Arid Environ. 78 (2012), 1–12, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.11.005.
48. Martin, D., Chen, T., Nichols, D., Bessell, R., Kidnie, S., Alexander, J., Integrating ground and satellite-based observations to determine the degree of grassland curing. Int. J. Wildl. Fire, 24, 2015, 329, 10.1071/wf14029.
49. Martin, T.G., Murphy, H., Liedloff, A., Thomas, C., Chadès, I., Cook, G., Fensham, R., McIvor, J., van Klinken, R.D., Buffel grass and climate change: a framework for projecting invasive species distributions when data are scarce. Biol. Invasions 17 (2015), 3197–3210, 10.1007/s10530-015-0945-9.
50. McArthur, A.G., Grassland Fire Danger Meter Mark V. 1977.
51. McDonald, C.J., McPherson, G.R., Fire behavior characteristics of buffelgrass-fueled fires and native plant community composition in invaded patches. J. Arid Environ. 75 (2011), 1147–1154, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.04.024.
52. Miller, G., Friedel, M., Adam, P., Chewings, V., Ecological impacts of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) invasion in Central Australia – does field evidence support a fire-invasion feedback?. Rangel. J. 32 (2010), 353–365, 10.1071/RJ09076.
53. Morley, S., Grant, C., Hobbs, R., Cramer, V., Long-term impact of prescribed burning on the nutrient status and fuel loads of rehabilitated bauxite mines in Western Australia. For. Ecol. Manage. 190 (2004), 227–239, 10.1016/j.foreco.2003.10.016.
54. NABI, Pasture Photo Standards, Brigalow Belt [WWW Document]. 2016, Futur. Beef, North. Aust. Beef Ind. URL: https://futurebeef.com.au/ (accessed 5.11.16).
55. Naidu, B.P., Harwood, M.R., Hacker, J.B., Thumma, B.R., Pasture species selection for revegetation of open-cut coal mine areas in Central Queensland, Australia. Int. J. Surf. Mining Reclam. Environ. 11 (1997), 21–25, 10.1080/09208119708944051.
56. Orr, D.M., A review of Astrebla (Mitchell Grass) pastures in Australia. Trop. Grassl. 9 (1975), 21–36.
57. Pitman, A.J., Narisma, G.T., McAneney, J., The impact of climate change on the risk of forest and grassland fires in Australia. Clim. Change 84 (2007), 383–401, 10.1007/s10584-007-9243-6.
58. QFES, Fire Behaviour Estimates – 2 day Head Fire Intensity (Grass Areas). 2014, QFES, Brisbane.
59. R Core Team, R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. 2015.
60. Rossiter, N.A., Setterfield, S.A., Douglas, M.M., Hutley, L.B., Testing the grass-fire cycle: alien grass invasion in the tropical savannas of northern Australia. Divers. Distrib. 9 (2003), 169–176, 10.1046/j.1472-4642.2003.00020.x.
61. Setterfield, S.A., Rossiter-Rachor, Natalie Douglas, M.M., Mcmaster, D., Adams, V., Ferdinands, K., The impacts of Andropogon gayanus (gamba grass) invasion on the fire danger index and fire management at a landscape scale. 19th Australasian Weeds Conference, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 2014, 125–128.
62. Setterfield, S.A., Rossiter-Rachor, N.A., Douglas, M.M., Wainger, L., Petty, A.M., Barrow, P., Shepherd, I.J., Ferdinands, K.B., Adding fuel to the fire: the impacts of non-native grass invasion on fire management at a regional scale. PLOS ONE, 8, 2013, e59144, 10.1371/journal.pone.0059144.
63. Simmons, D., Adams, R., Stoner, J., Fuels of the future: the challenge of new fuel types. Life in a Fire-Prone Environment: Translating Science into Practice, Bushfire Conference 2006, Brisbane, 2006, 4.
64. Smyth, A., Friedel, M., O'Malley, C., The influence of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) on biodiversity in an arid Australian landscape. Rangel. J. 31 (2009), 307–320, 10.1071/RJ08026.
65. Spain, A.V., Tibbett, M., Dieter, H.A., A, L.J., J, T.D., The mining-restoration system and ecosystem development following bauxite mining in a biodiverse environment of the seasonally dry tropics of Australia. Mining in Ecologically Sensitive Landscapes, 2015, CRC Press, 159–227.
66. Stoner, J.R., Adams, R., Dianne, S., Management implications of increased fuel loads following exotic grass invasion. Ecol. Manag. Restor. 5 (2004), 68–69.
67. Topp, G.C., Davis, J.L., Annan, A.P., Electromagnetic determination of soil water content: measurements in coaxial transmission lines. Water Resour. Res. 16 (1980), 574–582.
68. Wang, J., Eyre, T., Neldner, V.J., Floristic diversity of popular box woodlands in southern Queensland and changes over a 20-year period. Proc. R. Soc. Queensl. 114 (2008), 1–12.
69. Williams, P.R., Curragh Fire Management Plan Wesfarmers Curragh Mine. 2012, Emerald, QLD.