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A New Frequency Analysis Method for Constructing Fire Histories from Flowering Events in Austral Grasstrees ( Xanthorrhoea australis ) from Southern Victoria
Author(s) -
MÜLLER GREGG
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geographical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.695
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-5871
pISSN - 1745-5863
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-5871.2006.00405.x
Subject(s) - vegetation (pathology) , geography , fire regime , physical geography , population , ecology , chronology , fire history , fire ecology , forestry , cartography , archaeology , climate change , demography , biology , ecosystem , medicine , pathology , sociology
Austral Grasstrees often flower in response to fire, leaving a discernable scar on the trunk. These scars act as a record of flowering, and by measuring the distance between the scars, and relating the growth to a known growth rate, a fire chronology can be constructed from each measured tree. By analysing the frequency distributions of the fire dates calculated from a population of grasstrees, lengthy fire chronologies can be constructed. While the results are provisional, a resolution of two years and spans exceeding 100 years are possible. The technique has considerable advantages over current methods, and should find applications in fire ecology, ecological history and vegetation management.