Fire – Science

•   How are ecosystems, their plants and animals adapted to bushfires?
•   Is fire needed to manage some ecosystems sustainably?
•   How is science used to understand and manage bushfire risks?
•   What do scientists and land managers still need to know and do to manage fire-adapted ecosystems
    sustainably in future?
•   Is it possible to reduce bushfire risks while managing forests sustainably?

Exploring Understanding Actions

Understanding and applying knowledge

experimental burning

Climate change – is it a case of from the frying pan into the fire?

In this task students investigate the available information about climate change and attempt to predict how bushfires in their region might be affected.

Students will assess if there is authoritative evidence concerning the impact of climate change on bushfires. Students will need to:

  • assess climate change for a region in Australia
  • assess the possibility of extreme fire weather if the climate changes
  • gauge how a change in climate may impact on fuel load and the ecology of the region

After students have documented their assessment, they can develop a seasonal diagram describing any changes that may occur over a 12 month period in the future.

Resources

On Borrowed Time –
Future climate change, pp. 58 – 62
Fire management and risk-spreading, p. 117

Bureau of Meteorology
Climate Education
www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/c20thc/fire.htm

Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW
Understanding climate change impacts in NSW
www.environment.nsw.gov.au/climatechange/understanding.htm

Parliamentary Library
Bushfires: Is Fuel Reduction Burning the Answer?
www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/CIB/2002-03/03cib08.htm

Council of Australian Governments
Enquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management – Submissions Received
www.coagbushfireenquiry.gov.au/submissions.htm