Practical experience in Tasmania has shown that the PHOENIX RapidFire behaviour model – a dynamic, spatially and temporally explicit fire behaviour prediction model – is inappropriate for key Tasmanian vegetation types (tall wet eucalypt forests) that are ecologically different than their equivalents on the mainland of Australia (for which the fire prediction model was developed). James’ PhD is improving the understanding of fuels and fire danger in Tasmania’s tall wet eucalypt forests, possibly the state’s most dangerous fuel type. James has collected data on fuels in tall wet eucalypt forests, both in Tasmania and nationwide, and is using this data to understand how fuel load, structure, and fire danger vary both geographically and temporally across this forest type. He is investigating different fire behaviour modelling approaches from around the world to develop a conceptual framework for modelling fire behaviour in this complex vegetation type.
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