Wet eucalypt forests (dominated by Mountain Ash or Alpine Ash) are usually too wet to burn but when they dry out enough to become flammable they are one of our most dangerous fuel types. Despite this fire threat, we understand very little about fire behaviour in these forests. In this project we are using a combination of field ignition experiments and historic fire analysis to understand when wet eucalypt forests transition to a flammable state. The research is being conducted in close collaboration with Victorian fire agencies and the results will be used by these agencies to predict when wet forests across south-eastern Australia are flammable.
Project timeline: 06/2019 – 06/2023