Post-Fire Regeneration of Rainforest and Mixed Forest in Western Tasmania

Abstract

An area of rain forest burnt in the Zeehan fire of 1981 is regenerating toward pure rain forest. This fire was small and patchy and therefore many trees survived to provide a seed source for a major germination of rain forest species after the fire. However, several seral stages are expected to precede the climax vegetation. In contrast, an area of mixed forest burnt in the Savage River fire of 1982 has undergone a major change in species composition because of the proximity of a sclerophyll seed source. The Eucalyptus nitida overstorey is likely to be maintained, but sclerophyllous species will probably increase in dominance in the understorey at the expense of the pre-fire rain forest dominance. Given a long, fire-free interval, this forest may undergo succession to the climax rain forest, but this is unlikely due to large amounts of fuel, the drying effect of the forest edge, and the nearby road which allows access for human-caused fires.