Feb 21, 2020 | News
We are putting together some resource pages on plants and fire after the devastating 2019/20 Australian bushfires. Find out how plants and ecological communities recover from fire and what we can all do to help, including not dumping garden waste in burnt areas like the photo below. Help us get the word out there! Weeds are one of the biggest threats to plant recovery at this time. Read more.
- Stay out of recently burnt areas until it is safe – trees and branches may continue to fall for days, weeks and months after the fire has passed.
- When it’s safe to go in the bush, assess the site. Keep to formed tracks and do not walk in areas where plants are regrowing and seedlings emerging as this can damage their recovery and lead to soil erosion.
- In the short, medium and long term, carefully assess biodiversity loss and natural plant recovery after the fires, as some species may disappear, but many have mechanisms to cope with fire. Use standardised monitoring techniques so different sites can be compared.
- Identify threats to plant recovery such as weeds, grazers and disease.
- Use the assessment results to develop a restoration plan. Implement your plan, keep good records about what you do, monitor your site to determine the effectiveness of any restoration actions.
- Prioritise assisted natural regeneration actions where necessary within burnt bushland, and at its edges and in unburnt refugia, to control feral predators, herbivores and invasive plants. Planting is rarely needed.
- Work with others – join a local bushcare volunteer group, call your local council or local land/catchment management group, collaborate with your local university, join local and national networks.
- Learn, communicate. Attending training courses, talk to others in your area, read books, apply for funding if you need assistance. Share your information with others.
- Continue to protect burnt areas, as they need time to recover, and unburnt areas too, as these may act as refuges for biodiversity – from which species can repopulate burnt areas.
- Don’t plant or seed into burnt and naturally regenerating areas in the period immediately after the fire – wait to see what regenerates in the medium to long term and seek expert advice, before deciding what interventions are needed.
- Don’t collect seeds in burnt areas
- Don’t take too much seed from unburnt areas.
- Don’t clear “dead” plants which may resprout and provide shelter for remaining wildlife.
- Don’t dump garden waste or other organic material in the burnt areas. This can do more harm than good
Feb 21, 2020 | News
Following the bushfires affecting large parts of Australia in 2019 and 2020, APC is seeking articles describing plant and ecological communities responses to fire (e.g., fire-triggered seed germination, re-sprouting, structural and floristic community changes) and, where applicable, the impact of multiple fires and differing fire intensities, frequencies or seasons on plants and ecological communities. First deadline is 1 February, second deadline 1 May and the third 1 August 2020. Click here for more information.
Feb 21, 2020 | News
ANPC Project Manager Lucy Commander and APC Editor Heidi Zimmer on restoration following bushfires. In a fire-blackened landscape, signs of life are everywhere. A riot of red and green leaves erupt from an otherwise dead-looking tree trunk, and the beginnings of wildflowers and grasses peek from the crunchy charcoal below. Much Australian flora has evolved to cope with fire, recovering by re-sprouting or setting seed. However, some plants are sensitive to fire, especially when fires are frequent or intense, and these species need our help to recover. Encouraging native flora to bounce back from these unprecedented fires requires targeted funding and actions to conserve and restore plants and ecological communities, including seed banking. Read more.
Feb 21, 2020 | News
Green shoots can already be seen among the black scorched earth, but experts are cautious about just how well Australia’s landscapes will regenerate after the fires that have ripped through millions of hectares across the country. There is also division on what humans could or should do to assist ecosystems as they recover in a period of drought and climate change. Fire is not always a negative for Australia’s landscapes…But the strain put on many areas of Australia’s ecosystems by prolonged drought, and repeated fires, mean experts say just how parts of the bush will regenerate are yet to be seen….Action also needs to be taken to prevent invasive plants and feral animals like rabbits, goats and horses from impeding recovery, says Lucy Commander, project manager at the Australian Network for Plant Conservation. Dr Commander has also called for the government’s $50 million fund for wildlife and plant recovery to be spent strategically, instead of rushing in. Read more.
Jan 13, 2020 | News
The ANPC is extremely excited to announce that we have received an Environment and Conservation grant from The Ian Potter Foundation to review and update the ANPC’s Germplasm Guidelines. Called ‘Conserving our national plant treasures: guidelines for collecting, storing and growing Australian plants for restoration’, this project will fund the comprehensive update of one of our flagship publications. The Germplasm Guidelines are the definitive Australian standard for native seed and regenerative plant material collection, storage and use, last being published in 2009. Since that time, seed biology research has progressed significantly and to ensure that the latest information is passed onto practitioners and land managers, we will bring together leading experts in seed biology research and practice from across Australia to review and rewrite the Guidelines. The project will incorporate updated scientific knowledge to ensure Australia’s seed sector maintains the necessary skills and knowledge required. Read more.
