Logging increases bush flammability for 30 years, research shows
The Sydney Morning Herald by Peter Hannan 11 February 2021
Logging of native forests makes them much more flammable and elevates the severity of bushfires when they occur, pushing some species closer to ecological collapse, according to a review of published science by two leading universities.
Selective logging or thinning can also increase fire risks, according to the Bushfire Recovery Project, a joint project between Griffith University and the Australian National University.
The research showed that “it is up to seven times more likely that the canopy in a logged forest will burn compared with an unlogged forest”, said Patrick Norman, an ecologist with the Griffith Climate Change Response Program. “Once the canopy is burnt, it takes a long time for the recovery.”
The fragmentation of the canopy also results in warmer and drier conditions for the remaining vegetation as litter and the soil desiccate, contributing increased flammability, the paper noted.
The research also indicates that from about eight years after logging until about 30 years later – when the forest begins to mature and larger gaps appear between tall trees – the forests are be more susceptible to severe bushfires.
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