MODELING THE RESPONSE OF EUCALYPTS TO FIRE, BRINDABELLA RANGES, ACT

A new algorithm for the responses of Eucalyptus species to fire was de veloped to be used in BRIND, an existing forest gap simulation model. After a fire, trees may be: (i) killed outright; (ii) have their above -ground parts killed but resprout from basal lignotubers; or (iii) con tinue to grow from undamaged and epicormic above-ground buds. Data col lected after a fire in the Gudgenby region, Brindabella Ranges, southe rn Australian Capital Territory, indicate that tree size and vigour ca n be used to predict the response of individual trees. There was not e nough information about fire intensity to estimate its effect on the r esponse of trees. The new algorithm was tested using data from a 1982 fire in Bushrangers Creek, Brindabella Ranges. The predicted probabili ties of stem death were similar to the field data.