Future change may therefore be constrained. In the tropics, both forms of limitation are weak due to the annual wet/dry climate. Increasing dryness in woodland communities will decrease potential fire frequency, while the opposite applies in forests. Fire in woodland communities (dry climates) is limited by growth of herbaceous fuels (biomass), whereas in forests (wet climates) limitation is by fuel moisture (availability to burn) and fire weather.
Results: Variations in fire regimes are primarily related to fluctuations in available moisture and dominance by either woody or herbaceous plant cover. The potential effects of global change on the processes were then assessed and future trends in fire regimes were predicted. Methods: Information on the four processes was applied to each case study and the potential minimum length of interfire interval was predicted and compared to current trends. These represent a broad range of Australian biomes and current fire regimes.
Location: Case studies of forests (cool temperate to tropical) and woodlands (temperate to arid) were examined. Current and future trends in fire frequency were explored on this basis. the lowest rate of switching) in differing ecosystems. Therefore differing processes limit fire (i.e. Variations in area burned and fire frequency result from differences in the rates of 'switching' of biomass growth, availability to burn, fire weather and ignition.
Aim: Patterns of fire regimes across Australia exhibit biogeographic variation in response to four processes.
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