Researcher Summer Potvin from the University of Tasmania is this year’s winner of the ESA offered grant for students studying Forest Ecology. The scholarship will support her project “Chemical composition and flammability of understory plant species found in wet eucalypt forests”.
Due to climate change, we are facing record breaking dry springs and warm dry summers. This change in weather is altering the structure and characteristics of vegetation, increasing it chance to ignite. As a result, wildfire frequency and severity is increasing. Wet eucalypt forests are particularly fire prone due to their dense accumulation of vegetation and high amounts of carbon.
Summers’ project includes looking at the flammability of plant material by burning it on a special apparatus called a ‘Plant BBQ’, as well as analysing its chemical composition. “Looking at the chemical composition of plant tissue including the carbon to nitrogen ratio and phosphorus content can help us to better understand why some plant species are so flammable in comparison to others,” says researcher Summer Potvin.
Additionally, by burning plant species found in the understory of wet eucalypt forests she aims to conclude which plant species show a high or low level of flammability. This information will then be compared to the chemical composition to see if these properties relate to the flammability level. “Therefore, showing what plants are flammable and why.”
This research is highly valuable in Tasmania, a state seeing an increase in catastrophic wildfires. “I hope this information will be incorporated into fire management programs in the state, showing that low flammability plants could be used as green firebreaks, an addition to current fuel reduction methods”.
Summer will present her findings at the ESA2019 conference in Launceston, TAS. in November 2019.