The response of vegetation to changing fire regimes and human activity in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Three fine-resolution pollen, charcoal and statigraphic records are presented from Tea Tree Swamp, East Gippsland, Victoria. There is evidence for low levels of burning before European contact in Eucalyptus forest with an understorey dominated by shrubs and grasses. The burning activities of leasehold settlers, as well as burning and clearing by miners and timber cutters significantly increased the incidence of fire, reducing the cover of shrubs and permitting grasses to dominate the understorey. This is associated with a minor hydrological change indicated by increased representation of Myriophyllum, as well as an increase in the rate of sediment accumulation. Evidence is presented for the recovery of the shrub vegetation and a decline in the dominance of grasses after the inception of fire suppression measures invoked in response to severe fires in Victoria in AD 1939. All three cores show a substantial increase in the abundance of either Sphagnum or Myriophyllum pollen in recent times. These changes are interpreted as responses to hydrological changes associated with recent intensive forestry activities in the catchment above the site.