Fire and Other Emergencies

Fire research reports - listed by year and report number

Victoria is part of one of the most fire prone areas in the world. Not surprisingly, fire also plays an integral role in the maintenance of many of our native ecosystems. For many years a comprehensive fire research and development program has existed in Victoria. Based primarily with the School of Forest and Ecosystem Science, an alliance between DSE and the University of Melbourne, Victoria's fire research scientists continue to undertake projects of national and international significance.

Current research themes include fire threat analysis, fuel assessment and management, fire behaviour, fire and biodiversity, fire suppression, and airshed management. A number of research projects are also conducted in collaboration with organisations such as the University of Melbourne and the Bureau of Meteorology. The reports listed below detail some of the more important work conducted in Victoria since 1977.

Research reports listed by theme.

How do I access copies of these research reports?

Research report copies can be downloaded as PDFs - click on the title of the report in the table below. Hard copies can be purchased from Information Victoria.

Year	Title	Author(s)	Report Number
2008	Flora monitoring protocols for planned burning: a rationale report	J. Cawson and A. Muir	75
2008	Flora monitoring protocols for planned burning: a user's guide	J. Cawson and A. Muir	74
2008	Underpinnings of fire management for biodiversity conservation in reserves	A. M. Gill	73
2004	Operational performance of the S-64F Aircrane Helitanker - 1997–98 fire season	H. Biggs	72
2004	An evaluation of the performance of the Simplex 304 helicopter belly-tank	H. Biggs	71
2003	Effects of fire retardant on soils of heathland in Victoria	P. Hopmans and R. Bickford	70
2003	Effects of fire retardant on heathland invertebrate communities in Victoria	N. Collett and C. Schoenborn	69
2003	Effects of fire retardant on vegetation in eastern Australian heathlands: a preliminary investigation	Tina L. Bell	68
2003	A review of the relationship between fireline intensity and the ecological and economic effects of fire, and methods currently used to collect fire data	Karen Chatto & Kevin G. Tolhurst	67
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on tree growth and bark in a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Karen Chatto, Tina Bell and John Kellas	66
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on reptile populations of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Marc Irvin, Martin Westbrooke and Mathew Gibson	65
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on insectivorous bat populations of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Marc Irvin, Patrick Prevett and Martin Westbrooke	64
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on terrestrial mammal populations of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Marc Irvin, Martin Westbrooke & Mathew Gibson	63
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on bird abundance in a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Richard H. Loyn, Ross B. Cunningham and Christine Donnelly	62
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on the invertebrates of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Nick Collett and Fred Neumann	61
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the soils of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Peter Hopmans	60
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on fuel dynamics in a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Kevin G. Tolhurst & Natalie Kelly	59
2003	Effects of repeated low-intensity fire on the understorey of a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia	Kevin G. Tolhurst	58
2003	Ecological effects of repeated low-intensity fire in a mixed eucalypt foothill forest in south-eastern Australia - Summary report (1984–1999)	Department of Sustainability and Environment	57
2003	Prediction of firefighting resources for suppression operations in Victoria’s parks and forests	Gregory J. McCarthy, Kevin G. Tolhurst, Michael Wouters	56
2004	Analysis of wildfire threat: issues and options	A.A.G. Wilson	55
2003	Determination of sustainable fire regimes in the Victorian Alps using plant vital attributes	Gregory J. McCarthy, Kevin G. Tolhurst, Karen Chatto	54
2003	Modelling transport, dispersion and secondary pollutant formation of emissions from burning vegetation using air quality dispersion models.	Orestis Denis Valianatos, Kevin Tolhurst, Steven Siems, Nigel Tapper	53
2003	Effectiveness of aircraft operations by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Country Fire Authority 1997 - 1998	Gregory J. McCarthy	52
2001	Effectiveness of Broadscale Fuel Reduction Burning in Assisting with Wildfire Control in Parks and Forests in Victoria	GregoryJ. Mc Carthy and Kevin G. Tolhurst	51
2000	Assessment of the Effectiveness and Environmental Risk of the Use of Retardants to Assist in Wildfire Control in Victoria	.CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products	50
1997	Analysis of fire causes on or threatening public land in Victoria 1976/77 – 1995/96.	Davies,C	.49
1999	Development, Behaviour, Threat and Meteorological Aspects of a Plume - Driven Bushfire in West-Central Victoria: Berringa Fire February 25-26, 1995	Chatto,K.,Tolhurst, K., Leggett,A.,Treloar,A.	48
1998	Overall Fuel Hazard Guide	McCarthy,G.J, Chatto, K., and Tolhurst, K.	47
1997	The development and testing of the Wiltronics T-H Fine Fuel Moisture meter.	Chatto, K. and Tolhurst, K.	46
1998	Effectiveness of Firefighting First Attack Operations by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment from 1991/92 - 1994/95	McCarthy,G.J. and Tolhurst, K.G.	45
2004	Surface fine fuel hazard rating – forest fuels in East Gippsland	Gregory J. McCarthy	44
1996	Fuel hazard levels in relation to site characteristics and fire history: Chiltern Regional Park case study...	Chatto,K	43
1994	Fire behaviour and fire suppression in an elevated fuel type in East Gippsland: Patrol Track wildfire, February 1991...	Buckley, A.J.	42
1993	The effect of fuel reduction burning on the suppression of four wildfires in western Victoria...	Grant, S.R., Wouters, M.A.	41
1993	Fuel reducing regrowth forests with a wiregrass fuel type: fire behaviour guide and prescriptions..	Buckley, A.J.	40
1993	Developing fire management planning in Victoria: a case study from the Grampians..	Wouters, M.A.	39
1993	A case study of wildfire management in the Byadbo and Tingaringy Wilderness Areas....	Bartlett, A.G.	38
1993	The accumulation and structural development of the wiregrass (Tetrarrhena juncea) fuel type in East Gippsland....	Fogarty, L.G.	37
1993	Wildfire behaviour in heath and other elevated fuels: a case study of the 1991 Heywood fire....	Wouters, M.A.	36
1992	Ecological Effects of Fuel Reduction Burning in a Dry Sclerophyll Forest	Tolhurst, K.G et al
1993	Elevated fuel guide....	Wilson, A.A.G.	35
1992	Monitoring vegetation for fire effects....	Wouters, M.A.	34
1992	Fuel reducing a stand of eucalypt regrowth in East Gippsland — a case study....	Buckley, A.J.	33
1992	Eucalypt bark hazard guide....	Wilson, A.A.G.	32
1992	Assessing fire hazard on public land in Victoria: fire management needs, and practical research objectives.....	Wilson, A.A.G.	31
1987	Monitoring the ecological effects of fire....	Ed. by Hamilton, F.	30
1991	Fire hazard and prescribed burning of thinning slash in eucalypt regrowth forest....	Buckley, A., Corkish, N.	29
1990	Fire behaviour and fuel reduction burning — Bemm River wildfire, October 1988...	Buckley, A.	28
1987	Heathcote fire: Bendigo Fire No. 38 — 1986–87...	Billing, P.	27
1986	Operational aspects of the Infra-Red Line Scanner...	Billing, P.	26
1985	Effectiveness of Fuel Reduction Burning -10 Case Studies-	Rawson, Billing and Rees	25
1985	Fuel management in Radiata Pine following heavy first thinning ....	Norman, P.	24
1985	The Avoca fire, 14 January 1985....	Billing, P.	23
1984	Forest fire statistics 1974–75 to 1983–84....	Rees, B.	22
1983	Otways Fire No 22 — 1982/83: A case study of plantation protection....	Billing, P.	21
1983	Otways Fire No 22 — 1982/83: Aspects of fire behaviour....	Billing, P	20
1983	The Bright plantation fire: November, 1982....	Watson, N., Morgan, G., Rolland, D.	19
1983	Retardant distributions from six agricultural aircraft ....	Rees, B.	18
1982	Fuel properties before and after second thinning in Radiata Pine....	Woodman, M.	17
1982	Using fire to reduce aerial fuels in first thinned Radiata Pine ....	Billing, P.R., Bywater, J.V	16
1982	Project MAFFS/HERCULES: the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System in Victoria....	Rawson, R., Rees, B., Stuckey, E., Turner, D., Wood, C., Woodman,M	15
1982	Fuel reduction burning in Radiata Pine plantations....	Woodman, M., Rawson, R.	14
1982	Fuel moisture changes under Radiata Pine...	Woodman, M.	13
1982	A summary of forest fire statistics, 1972–73 to 1980–81	Rawson, R., Rees, B.	12
1982	A fire tornado in the Sunset Country January 1981	Billing, P., Rawson, R.	11
1981	The effectiveness of fuel-reduction burning: five case histories		10
1981	Hazard reduction burning in the Big Desert	Billing, P.R.	9
1981	Changes in understorey vegetation in Sherbrooke Forest following burning or slashing....	Rawson, R., Rees, B.	8
1980	Some aspects of the behaviour of the Caroline Fire of February 1979....	Billing, P.R.	7
1980	A low intensity prescribed burning operation in a thinned Radiata Pine plantation....	Billing, P.R.	6
1979	Some effects of low intensity burning on Radiata Pine ....	Billing, P.R.	5
1979	Using fire to reduce fuel accumulations after first thinning in Radiata Pine plantations....	Billing, P.R.	4
1978	Fuel properties before and after thinning in young Radiata Pine plantations....	Williams, D.F.	3
1978	Low intensity prescribed burning in three Pinus radiata stand types....	Thomson, D.S.	2
1977	A study of the distribution of aerially applied fire retardant in softwood plantations....	Rawson, R.	1

To purchase copies of research reports
Printed copies of reports 44-72 that are still in print may be purchased from:

Information Victoria
505 Little Collins Street
Melbourne 3000

Phone: 1300 366 356 for the cost of a local call, anywhere in Australia.
Fax: (03) 9603 9920
Email: bookshop@dvc.vic.gov.au
Web: www.information.vic.gov.au

Cost: $12.50 each plus postage (except Report No.47 - Overall Fuel Hazard guide that is $7.70 plus postage).