THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF THE EUCALYPTS AND FOREST FIRES IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA

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Abstract
The role of fire in the ecology of eucalypt forests is discussed in the light of observations in Tasmania and to a lesser extent in West Australia, South Australia and Victoria. The eucalypts are not only fire resistant but they also produce a great deal of fuel. Some species have bark which helps the spread of fire by the “spot fire” mechanism. All species seem to regenerate more abundantly after fire and some cannot regenerate without fire. One or two species seem to suffer and die from prolonged absence of fire. Traces of fire can be found wherever eucalypts occur in southern Australia. Consideration of these facts suggests that the eucalypts are dependent on fire for their present distribution and that the wide distribution of fire in the past may have been maintained by the eucalypts.

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