Track 3-06: Tools to Aid Uptake of New Technology
Description
As vegetation dies, it dries and becomes more flammable. Fire agencies require accurate and timely assessments of curing (the percentage of dead material in the sward) to model grass fire behaviour and calculate fire danger ratings (Cheney and Sullivan 2008). Visual observation is commonplace and the more objective use of the Levy Rod is recommended, although both have drawbacks (Anderson et al. 2011). There is great potential for pasture growth models to provide curing estimates to assist with the management of wild grass fires (Gill et al. 2010). This PhD project focused on plant physiological characters to populate models that could be used to predict curing assessments for fire management purposes.
Included in
A Plant-Physiology Approach to a Fire-y Problem
As vegetation dies, it dries and becomes more flammable. Fire agencies require accurate and timely assessments of curing (the percentage of dead material in the sward) to model grass fire behaviour and calculate fire danger ratings (Cheney and Sullivan 2008). Visual observation is commonplace and the more objective use of the Levy Rod is recommended, although both have drawbacks (Anderson et al. 2011). There is great potential for pasture growth models to provide curing estimates to assist with the management of wild grass fires (Gill et al. 2010). This PhD project focused on plant physiological characters to populate models that could be used to predict curing assessments for fire management purposes.
