Register      Login
International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WF > WF04024
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 14(2)

Effects of the fire retardant Phos-Chek on vegetation in eastern Australian heathlands

Tina Bell A C , Kevin Tolhurst A and Michael Wouters B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, The University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia.

B Fire Management Section, Department for Environment and Heritage, 1 Richmond Road, Keswick, South Australia 5035, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Telephone: +61 3 5321 4181; fax: +61 3 5321 4166; email: tlbell@unimelb.edu.au

International Journal of Wildland Fire 14(2) 199-211 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF04024
Submitted: 28 May 2004  Accepted: 1 February 2005   Published: 17 May 2005

Abstract

The effects of the fire retardant Phos-Chek D75R on species composition, survival and growth of eastern Australian heathland vegetation are described. Two sites in Victoria were selected, Victoria Valley in the Grampian Ranges and Marlo in East Gippsland. Both areas supported heathland vegetation that was long, unburnt and relatively undisturbed. Plots were subjected to single applications of increasing concentrations of retardant (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 L fire retardant m−2) or no additional fire retardant (‘Control’ and ‘Water only’ treatments). A single application of Phos-Chek did not appear to significantly change species composition or projected foliage cover of the major life forms of native heathland vegetation. However, it did cause whole plant and shoot death of key species Allocasuarina paludosa, Banksia marginata, Leptospermum continentale and L. myrsinoides, and was observed to affect other species. The fertilising effect of the fire retardant generally increased shoot growth of the key species but did not significantly increase the overall height of these species. The application of fire retardant enhanced weed invasion, particularly when supplied at higher concentrations. A number of research recommendations are made from this preliminary investigation.

Additional keywords: bushfire; East Gippsland; fire suppression; Grampian Ranges; weed invasion.


References


Adams R , Simmons D (1999) Ecological effects of fire fighting foams and retardants: a summary. Australian Forestry  62, 307–314.
Baker HG (1989) Some aspects of the natural history of seed banks. In ‘Ecology of soil seed banks’. (Eds MA Leck, VT Parker, RL Simpson) pp. 9–21. (Academic Press: San Diego)

Baxter BJM, van Staden J, Granger JE , Brown NAC (1994) Plant-derived smoke and smoke extracts stimulate seed germination of fire-climax grass, Themeda triandra. Environmental and Experimental Botany  34, 217–223.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Chandler C, Cheney P, Thomas P, Trabaud L, Williams D (1983) ‘Fire in forestry. Volume II, Forest fire management and organization.’ (John Wiley and Sons: New York) 298 pp.

Christensen PE , Kimber PC (1975) Effects of prescribed burning on the flora and fauna of south-west Australian forest. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia  9, 85–106.
CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (2000) ‘Assessment of the effectiveness and environmental risk of the use of retardants to assist in wildfire control in Victoria.’ Research Report No. 50. Prepared by CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products for the Victorian Department of Natural Resources and Environment. 43 pp.

Day JC, McGregor GA, Johnstone PD (1984) ‘Grampians National Park—Inventory of resources and uses.’ (National Parks Service: Melbourne) 136 pp.

Dixon KW, Roche S , Pate JS (1995) The promotive effect of smoke derived from burnt native vegetation on seed germination of Western Australian plants. Oecologia  101, 185–192.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | East Gippsland Coalition (1985) ‘East Gippsland Coalition proposal for National Parks in East Gippsland—a greenprint for forests.’ (East Gippsland Coalition: Melbourne) 48 pp.

Enright NJ, Goldblum D, Ata P , Ashton DH (1997) The independent effects of heat, smoke and ash on emergence of seedlings from soil seed bank of a healthy Eucalyptus woodland in Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, western Victoria. Australian Journal of Ecology  22, 81–88.
Hopmans P, Bickford R (2003) ‘Effects of fire retardant on soils of heathland in Victoria.’ Report No. 2003/028. (Department of Sustainability and Environment, Forest Science Centre: Melbourne) 24 pp.

Kalabokidis KD (2000) Effects of wildfire suppression chemicals on people and the environment—a review. Global Nest International Journal (Toronto, Ont.)  2, 129–137.
Kent M, Coker P (1996) ‘Vegetation description and analysis: A practical approach.’ (John Wiley and Sons: Chichester) 363 pp.

Larson JR , Duncan DA (1982) Annual grassland response to fire retardant and wildfire. Journal of Range Management  35, 700–703.
Larson DL, Newton WE, Ramsey GS (1996) Effects of fire suppressant foam on vegetation in North Dakota prairie. Proceedings of the International Wildland Fire Foam Symposium and Workshop, Thunder Bay, Ontario, 3–5 May 1994. Petawawa National Forestry Institute, Canadian Forest Service, No. PI X 123, pp. 123–127.

Larson DL, Newton WE, Anderson PJ , Stein SJ (1999) Effects of fire retardant chemical and fire suppressant foam on shrub steppe vegetation in northern Nevada. International Journal of Wildland Fire  9, 115–127.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | McAndrew J, Marsden MAH (1973) ‘Regional guide to Victorian geology.’ (School of Geology, University of Melbourne: Melbourne) 224 pp.

Pate JS, Dell B (1984) Economy of mineral nutrients in sandplain species. In ‘Kwongan—Plant life of the sandplain.’ (Eds JS Pate, JS Beard) pp. 227–252. (University of Western Australia Press: Nedlands)

Podger FD , Brown MJ (1989) Vegetation damage caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi on disturbed sites in temperate rainforest in western Tasmania. Australian Journal of Botany  37, 443–480.
Randall R (2002) ‘A global compendium of weeds.’ (Department of Agriculture of Western Australia: South Perth) Available at http://www.hear.org/gcw/ [Verified 30 March 2004]

Rees B (1983) ‘Retardant distributions from six agricultural aircraft.’ Research Report No. 18. (Fire Management Branch, Department of Conservation & Environment Victoria: Melbourne) 16 pp.

Shearer BL , Dillon M (1996) Impact and disease centre characteristics of Phytophthora cinnamomi infestations of Banksia woodlands on the Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Botany  44, 79–90.
Shearer BL, Tippett JT (1989) Jarrah dieback: the dynamics and management of Phytophthora cinnamomi in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of south-western Australia. Research Bulletin No. 3. (Conservation and Land Management: Como, Perth) 76 pp.

Siddique MY, Carolin RC , Myerscough PJ (1976) Studies in the ecology of coastal heath in New South Wales. III. Regrowth of vegetation after fire. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales  101, 53–63.
Specht RL, Moll EJ (1983) Mediterranean-type heathlands and sclerophyllous shrublands of the world: an overview. In ‘Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The role of nutrients’. (Eds FJ Kruger, DT Mitchell, JUM Jarvis) pp. 41–65. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin)

Spencer-Jones D (1965) ‘The geology and structure of the Grampians area, western Victoria.’ Memoir No. 25. (Geological Survey of Victoria, Department of Mines: Melbourne) 92 pp.

Tieu A, Dixon KW, Sivasithamparam K, Plummer JA , Sieler IM (1999) Germination of four species of native Western Australian plants using plant-derived smoke. Australian Journal of Botany  47, 207–219.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | van Meter WP, George CW, Johnson CW (1985) Chemical analysis procedures for four fire retardant constituents. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report INT-181. 25 pp.

Walsh NG, Entwistle TJ (1994) ‘Flora of Victoria, Volume 2, Ferns and allied plants, conifers and monocotyledons.’ (National Herbarium of Victoria/Inkata Press: Melbourne)

Walsh NG, Entwistle TJ (1996) ‘Flora of Victoria, Volume 3, Dicotyledons: Winteraceae to Myrtaceae.’ (National Herbarium of Victoria/Inkata Press: Melbourne)

Warcup JH (1980) Effect of heat treatment of forest soil on germination of buried seed. Australian Journal of Botany  28, 567–571.
Warcup JH (1981) Effect of fire on the soil microflora and other non-vascular plants. In ‘Fire and the Australian biota’. (Eds AM Gill, RH Groves, IR Noble) pp. 203–214. (Australian Academy of Science: Canberra)

Weste G (1981) Changes in the vegetation of sclerophyll shrubby woodland associated with invasion by Phytophthora cinnamomi. Australian Journal of Botany  29, 261–276.
Whelan RJ (1995) ‘The ecology of fire.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge)