Abstract
Summary Over a wide range of conditions fine fuel re-accumulation after fire in eucalypt forests is well described by equations of the form Xt = Xss (l-e−kt) where Xt is the weight (t ha−1) of litter accumulated at time t(yr), Xss is the weight of accumulated litter under steady-state conditions, and k is a decomposition rate constant (yr−1). Decomposition constants ranged from 0.11 to 0.31 yr−1, and steady- state litter accumulations varied between 11.1 and 29.4 t ha−1. In many types of eucalypt forest, litter re-accumulates to dangerous (from a fire control point of view) weights in 3–6 years, thus severely limiting the period during which prescribed burning provides protection from wildfire. The rapid rate of litter re-accumulation is mostly due to a marked decrease in the total amount of litter decomposing (relative to rates of litter input), rather than to any fire-induced reduction in the rate of decomposition. The implications of these findings for fire management in eucalypt forests are briefly di...
Published Version
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