DAVID BOWMAN: After 1967 and Dunalley, it’s hard to explain the ignorance of the potential for catastrophic bushfire in Hobart HOBART is framed by kunanyi/Mt Wellington, which provides a superb backdrop to our city. It is an ancient presence, framing our daily lives, even sometimes affecting our moods. But there is another, fierce dimension to […]
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Mapping fire impacts in Tasmanian giant Eucalyptus forests using state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques The Fire Centre is looking for a PhD student to study the impacts of the 2019 Tasmanian Bushfires on Tasmania’s iconic Tall Wet Eucalypt Forests. The Research Project Tasmania is world-renowned for tall Eucalyptus forests. In early 2019, vast areas of forest […]
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Understand the bushfire risk profile of the City of Hobart using a transdisciplinary biophysical and social geographic approach The Fire Centre is looking for a PhD student to engage in a multi-disciplinary project identifying vulnerable populations in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) around the Tasmanian capital of Hobart. The research will employ both sociological and biogeographic […]
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Fire Centre Director Prof. David Bowman and Dr. Cathelijne Stoof from Wageningen University in the Nederlands have written a communication for the prestigious journal Nature discussing the importance of diversity, both in terms of background and in terms of perspective, in the wildland fire sector. One of the core goals of the Fire Centre is to promote the […]
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ABC Hobart’s Leon Compton speaks with Prof. David Bowman, Director of the Fire Centre, and Sandra Wight, Director of Community Fire Safety at the Tasmania Fire Service about living in a bushfire-prone landscape in the context. Southeastern Tasmania appears to be particularly vulnerable to climate change and developing new solutions to landscape management and incorporating new […]
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The open-access journal Fire has announced a special issue focusing on bushfire in Tasmania. Prof. Crystal Holden, Prof. David Bowman and Dr. Rebecca Harris, all members of or contributors to the Fire Centre, are guest editors. The Special Issue focuses on bushfire in Tasmania, its sociopolitical, economic and ecological impacts, its management by the state agencies […]
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At the Fire Centre, we strive to empower local communities to develop solutions and to understand the cultural context of these solutions. In the USA, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and local tribes are leading the way in this regard. The BIA has been the only federal agency in the USA to substantially increase […]
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Predicting fire refugia to help protect Tasmania’s palaeoendemic plants The Fire Centre is looking for a PhD candidate on predicting fire refugia to help protect Tasmania’s palaeoendemic plants. This would be an exciting project for someone with an interest in field work, conservation management of vegetation and who has good numeric skills. Contact greg.jordan@utas.edu.au. Applicants […]
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The 2019 Tasmanian fires burned for weeks and covered extensive areas of the state, causing much anxiety for those who feel a deep connection to this island. Fire Centre Director Prof. David Bowman appears on ABC’s the Science Show to discuss the 2019 Tasmanian wildfires and their effect on the psychological health of Tasmanians. […]
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This piece by the ABC’s Felicity Ogilvie highlights an innovative Fire Centre study in the midlands looking at the effect of fine-scale mosaic patch burning on herbivores. Such practices are similar to traditional burning practices elsewhere in Australia. The research project represents a collaboration between the Fire Centre, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, and private […]
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