scholarly journals The influence of prescribed fire on the extent of wildfire in savanna landscapes of western Arnhem Land, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen F. Price ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith ◽  
Felicity Watt
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Arnhem Land

Fire regimes in many north Australian savanna regions are today characterised by frequent wildfires occurring in the latter part of the 7-month dry season. A fire management program instigated from 2005 over 24 000 km2 of biodiversity-rich Western Arnhem Land aims to reduce the area and severity of late dry-season fires, and associated greenhouse gas emissions, through targeted early dry-season prescribed burning. This study used fire history mapping derived mostly from Landsat imagery over the period 1990–2009 and statistical modelling to quantify the mitigation of late dry-season wildfire through prescribed burning. From 2005, there has been a reduction in mean annual total proportion burnt (from 38 to 30%), and particularly of late dry-season fires (from 29 to 12.5%). The slope of the relationship between the proportion of early-season prescribed fire and subsequent late dry-season wildfire was ~–1. This means that imposing prescribed early dry-season burning can substantially reduce late dry-season fire area, by direct one-to-one replacement. There is some evidence that the spatially strategic program has achieved even better mitigation than this. The observed reduction in late dry-season fire without concomitant increase in overall area burnt has important ecological and greenhouse gas emissions implications. This efficient mitigation of wildfire contrasts markedly with observations reported from temperate fire-prone forested systems.

Fire regimes and their correlates in the Darwin region of northern Australia

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Price ◽  
Bryan Baker
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Generalized Linear Modelling

A nine year fire history for the Darwin region was created from Landsat imagery, and examined to describe the fire regime across the region. 43% of the region burned each year, and approximately one quarter of the fires occur in the late dry season, which is lower than most other studied areas. Freehold land, which covers 35% of the greater Darwin region, has 20% long-unburnt land. In contrast, most publicly owned and Aboriginal owned land has very high fire frequency (60-70% per year), and only 5% long unburnt. It seems that much of the Freehold land is managed for fire suppression, while the common land is burnt either to protect the Freehold or by pyromaniacs. Generalized Linear Modelling among a random sample of points revealed that fire frequency is higher among large blocks of savannah vegetation, and at greater distances from mangrove vegetation and roads. This suggests that various kinds of fire break can be used to manage fire in the region. The overall fire frequency in the Darwin region is probably too high and is having a negative impact on wildlife. However, the relatively low proportion of late dry season fires means the regime is probably not as bad as in some other regions. The management of fire is ad-hoc and strongly influenced by tenure. There needs to be a clear statement of regional fire targets and a strategy to achieve these. Continuation of the fire mapping is an essential component of achieving the targets.

Emerging opportunities for developing a diversified land sector economy in Australia’s northern savannas

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Russell-Smith ◽  
Kamaljit K. Sangha
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Focal Region ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Northern Regions

We explore sustainable land sector opportunities for Australia’s 1.2 million km2 northern savanna rangelands where extensive beef cattle pastoralism is the predominant contemporary land use. Our focal region is characterised by mean annual rainfall exceeding 600 mm, ecologically bountiful wet season water availability followed by 6–8 months of surface water deficit, mostly nutrient-poor soils, internationally significant biodiversity and carbon stock values, very extensive dry season fires in pastorally unproductive settings, a sparse rural population (0.14 persons km–2) comprising a high proportion of Indigenous people, and associated limited infrastructure. Despite relatively high beef cattle prices in recent seasons and property values escalating at a spectacular ~6% p.a. over the past two decades, long-term economics data show that, for most northern regions, typical pastoral enterprises are unprofitable and carry significant debt. Pastoral activities can also incur very significant environmental impacts on soil and scarce dry season water resources, and greenhouse gas emissions, which currently are not accounted for in economic sustainability assessments. Over the same period, the conservation sector (including National Parks, Indigenous Protected Areas) has been expanding rapidly and now occupies 25% of the region. Since 2012, market-based savanna burning projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions occur over a further 25%. Returns from nature-based tourism focussed particularly on maintaining intact freshwater systems and associated recreational fishing opportunities dwarf returns from pastoralism. The growth of these latter industries illustrates the potential for further development of profitable ‘ecosystem services’ markets as part of a more environmentally and socially sustainable diversified regional land sector economy. We outline some of the imminent challenges involved with, and opportunities for developing, this new industry sector.

Remote sensing of fire regimes in semi-arid Nusa Tenggara Timur, eastern Indonesia: current patterns, future prospects

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohan Fisher ◽  
Wilfrida E. Bobanuba ◽  
Agus Rawambaku ◽  
Greg J. E. Hill ◽  
Jeremy Russell-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Landsat Imagery ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Hotspot Detection ◽  
Fire Policy ◽  
Eastern Indonesia ◽  
Semi Arid

Substantial areas of eastern Indonesia are semi-arid (with a pronounced dry season extending from April to November) with extensive areas of uncultivated vegetation dominated by savanna grasslands and woodlands. These are highly fire-prone, despite high population densities reliant on intensive subsistence agriculture and an official national fire policy that prohibits all burning. To date, no regional studies have been undertaken that reliably assess the seasonal extent and patterning of prescribed burning and wildfire. Focusing on two case studies in east Sumba (7000 km2) and central Flores (3000 km2) in the eastern Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, the present paper addresses: (1) the efficacy of applying standard remote sensing and geographic information system tools as developed for monitoring fire patterns in savanna landscapes of adjacent northern Australia, for (2) describing the seasonal patterning of burning at village and broader regional scales in 2003 and 2004. Despite recurring cloudiness, which significantly affected daily fire detection of ‘hotspots’ from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer sensors, fire mapping from Landsat imagery was undertaken successfully to reveal: (1) fires burnt an annual average of 29% of eastern Sumba (comprising mostly grassland savanna), and 11% of central Flores (with large forested areas); (2) most fire extent occurred in savanna grassland areas, and significantly also in cultivated lands and small remnant patches of forest; (3) most fire activity occurred under harsh, late dry season conditions; and (4) while the great majority of individual fires were less than 5 ha, some late dry season fires were hundreds of hectares in extent. The potential routine application of different image sensors for fire mapping and hotspot detection is considered in discussion.

scholarly journals Influence of Land Use and Rainfall on Carbon Stock Dynamics for Oil Palm and Rubber

Agromet ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128
Author(s):  
Oktanindita Priambodo ◽  
Hariyadi ◽  
Suwarto ◽  
I Putu Santikayasa
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Short Wave ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Gas Emissions

The expansion of agricultural commodities including oil palm plantations potentially causes an increase of greenhouse gas emissions by amplifying carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. In the long term, this amplification will alter climate change. However, oil palm also has the potency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis. This study aims to determine the carbon stock that can be absorbed by oil palm and rubber plants, and to determine the relationship of rainfall with carbon stock in oil palm plants. The study used satellite image data based on Landsat and combined with rainfall data from near Perbaungan District, North Sumatra.  Three Landsat data (acquisition date: (i) 12 February 2000, (ii) 8 March 2009, and (iii) 11 August 2019) were processed to estimate carbon stock. The procedure for estimating carbon stock was as follows: determining the sample and digitizing the sampling points, converting the digital value of the numbers into the spectral spectrum, calculating the albedo values, calculating the long-wave and short-wave radiations, computing biomass, and the absorbed carbon stock. The results showed that the carbon stock in oil palm was greater than that of rubber plants as oil palm has a greater biomass. The greater the plant biomass, the bigger the carbon stock absorbed. Further, the findings revealed that rainfall in dry season has a contribution to carbon stock in oil palm and rubber. The higher the total rainfall during dry season will increase the absorbed carbon stocks.

A regional interpretation of rules and good practice for greenhouse accounting: northern Australian savanna systems

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverley Henry ◽  
Chris Mitchell ◽  
Annette Cowie ◽  
Oliver Woldring ◽  
John Carter
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Carbon Accounting ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Terrestrial Biosphere ◽  
Gas Emissions

Land-use change, particularly clearing of forests for agriculture, has contributed significantly to the observed rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Concern about the impacts on climate has led to efforts to monitor and curtail the rapid increase in concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Internationally, much of the current focus is on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Although electing to not ratify the Protocol, Australia, as a party to the UNFCCC, reports on national greenhouse gas emissions, trends in emissions and abatement measures. In this paper we review the complex accounting rules for human activities affecting greenhouse gas fluxes in the terrestrial biosphere and explore implications and potential opportunities for managing carbon in the savanna ecosystems of northern Australia. Savannas in Australia are managed for grazing as well as for cultural and environmental values against a background of extreme climate variability and disturbance, notably fire. Methane from livestock and non-CO2 emissions from burning are important components of the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with management of savannas. International developments in carbon accounting for the terrestrial biosphere bring a requirement for better attribution of change in carbon stocks and more detailed and spatially explicit data on such characteristics of savanna ecosystems as fire regimes, production and type of fuel for burning, drivers of woody encroachment, rates of woody regrowth, stocking rates and grazing impacts. The benefits of improved biophysical information and of understanding the impacts on ecosystem function of natural factors and management options will extend beyond greenhouse accounting to better land management for multiple objectives.

Greenhouse gas emissions after a prescribed fire in white birch-dwarf bamboo stands in northern Japan, focusing on the role of charcoal

2011 ◽  
Vol 130 (6) ◽  
pp. 1031-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Suk Kim ◽  
Kobayashi Makoto ◽  
Fumiaki Takakai ◽  
Hideaki Shibata ◽  
Takami Satomura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Prescribed Fire ◽  
Dwarf Bamboo ◽  
White Birch ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Northern Japan

Greenhouse gas emissions and energy exchange in wet and dry season rice: eddy covariance-based approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 190 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinmaya Kumar Swain ◽  
Amaresh Kumar Nayak ◽  
Pratap Bhattacharyya ◽  
Dibyendu Chatterjee ◽  
Sumanta Chatterjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Energy Exchange ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Gas Emissions

Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from peat combustion in wildfires on Indonesian peatlands, and their uncertainty

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Rodríguez Vásquez ◽  
A. Benoist ◽  
J.‐M. Roda ◽  
M. Fortin
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Gas Emissions

What are we missing? Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions accounting in the metals and minerals industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. Greene
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Gas Emissions
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