Fire research tackled by TLC intern
For the next few weeks the TLC is hosting Ms Conamara Burke from the University of Montana, who is visiting Tasmania as part of the United States National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) internship program. Conamara is working with TLC Conservation Scientists, Matt Taylor and Sally Bryant, on a project to document the recovery after bushfire of TLC’s Silver Peppermint Reserve.
In January 2013 Silver Peppermint Reserve was burnt by a large bushfire that began at Lake Repulse in the Derwent Valley. The entire property was affected, with the canopy scorched and the understorey vegetation completely incinerated by the fire.
Conamara is investigating how the regeneration of understorey vegetation coincides with the return of bird species to the reserve. The project is using modern techniques – digital photography and digital sound recording – to document the changes that occur in the ecosystem immediately after fire.
Ten fixed photo points were established four days after the bushfire. At each photo point a series of identical photographs are being taken of the understorey vegetation at weekly intervals for the next eight weeks. The series of photos will provide a visual record of the regeneration process. The photos will also allow quantitative ecological data on vegetation structure to be recorded.
Sound recorders are being used to document the bird species that return to Silver Peppermint over the eight week period. The recorders are placed at three of the photo points and record 20 minutes of bird song. An expert ornithologist is then able to identify the species of birds that are present at the property from the recordings.
By documenting the vegetation structure and bird species present at the reserve each week, the project aims to better understand the ecological relationship between bird diversity and vegetation structure in the period immediately following fire. The project will also produce a fascinating audio-visual record of the regeneration of Silver Peppermint Reserve.