Fire ecology

Why is fire important for the environment?

Fire has played an integral part in shaping the ecology of the Australian landscape for millions of years. Bushfires also occur across the landscape when dry fuels are ignited by lightning strikes. As a result, native plants and animals have traits that enable them to survive and thrive in fire prone habitats under particular fire regimes. For example, small ground plants like climbing drosera (a native insectivorous plant) and midge orchids, grow quickly after fire because there is reduced competition from other plants, while fires stimulate grass trees to grow spectacular flower spikes.

What is a fire regime?

The pattern of fires that occur in an area over time is called a fire regime and is made up of the:

• fire interval (the number of years between fires)
• fire intensity (the amount of energy a fire produces)
• fire season (the time of year fires occur)
• fire type (above or below ground fire. Below ground fires burn in peat or coal).

Different landscapes and different habitats have evolved under different fire regimes. Australian plants and animals have become adapted to the fire regime that characterises the habitats they live in. However, if fires occur outside the usual pattern of fires that plants and animals have adapted to, extinctions can happen. For example, a species of plant that usually experiences summer fires may not survive a fire that occurs in early spring.

Improving our understanding of how plants and animals respond to different fire regimes means we are better placed to know how to manage fire in the landscape to benefit biodiversity.

A fiery podcast

Listen to the intriguing topic of fire behaviour and ecology with Kirstin Abley NPWS Manager, Fire Science and Mapping in this Green Adelaide podcast.

Fire management guidelines and strategies

We have developed ecological guidelines and strategies to help us implement fire regimes that meet the needs of native plants and animals in different habitats. These are considered when developing fire management plans and planning prescribed burns. Our strategies can also provide information on how fire can be used as a tool to control some pest plants.