New bushfire and ecology research is taking place. Photo: CFA
New research projects from the CRC are now underway for Victorian partners. Two projects are part of the Victorian Government’s Safer Together program, while a further three have been commissioned by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
This research is exploring the effective use of resources, such as trucks, aircraft or bulldozers, on different types of bushfires. Undertaken by Dr Matt Plucinski, Dr Carolyn Huston, Richard Hurley, Dr Andrew Sullivan and Dr Miguel Cruz from CSIRO, the study will highlight any inefficiencies and make suggestions on better practices to improve resource use. A core outcome will be the utilisation of a robust methodology which will determine the suppression resources needed across an entire fire season. This research is funded through the Victorian Government’s Safer Together program.
This study will conduct a needs analysis for the development of seasonal fire forecasts that can be implemented across Victoria. It will calibrate and assess long range Forest Fire Danger Indices (FFDI) and develop a proof of concept and experimental seasonal fire forecasting products that consider FFDI forecasts with possible enhancements to the base product that include fuel availability and comparison to similar season types. The research will be undertaken by Dr Andrew Dowdy and Dr David Jones from the Bureau of Meteorology. This research is funded through the Victorian Government’s Safer Together program.
The effects of both bushfire and planned burning on ecosystem resilience is being investigated by this study, which will measure the effectiveness of four different ecosystems in Victoria for guiding fire management. The research is being undertaken by La Trobe University researchers Dr Jim Radford, Dr Angie Haslem, Prof Mike Clarke, Prof Andrew Bennett and Dr Josephine MacHunter. This research is funded by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
This research is assessing the efficiency of monitoring methods such as field data capturing, camera technology and automated image analysis and classification to better understand ecosystem resilience. Undertaken by Dr Don Driscoll, A/Prof Euan Ritchie, Dr Tim Doherty, Prof Abbas Kouzani and Dr Thanh Nguyen from Deakin University, the study will focus on monitoring techniques suitable for the Lowan Mallee and Heathland regions. This research is funded by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
Actions that result in negative impacts on the environment being avoided will be the focus of this study, led by Luke Passfield, Alison Inglis and Dani Cash from Coffey Consultancy and Dr Austin O’Malley from Eco Logical. A framework will be developed, along with measurable outcomes that demonstrate how compliance leads to better environmental benefits. This research is funded by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.