Many ecosystems across Australia have been severely impacted from the 2019-20 bushfires due to the effects of a drying climate. While extensive areas of vegetation are recovering well, others are in deep trouble and may never be the same again. In between these extremes are numerous sites that we believe will recover well if only they get a bit of help, particularly with well-judged removal of weed.

If you are a land manager or willing volunteer, please check out our resources below and learn what you can do to help recovering natives that are experiencing competition from regenerating weed!

 

AABR has developed or updated the following online materials to assist landholders and volunteers undertake ecological weed management after the extensive wildfires of spring-summer 2019-20.

Techniques:  The  main weeding techniques used after fire.

• Control of Small Hand-Pullable Plants
• Control of Weeds with Underground Reproductive Structures
• Control of Woody Weeds
• Control of Vines

Information sheets 

1. Assisting the recovery of weed-affected native vegetation
2. Assisting the recovery of weed-affected rainforest ‘edges’

This project was proudly supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife

Video series – First Aid for Burned Bushland

Assisting regeneration post-fire – Why it’s important

This project was proudly supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife

Assessing priorities for post-fire bush regeneration

This video has been made possible with funding  from  South East Local Land Services

Minimise disturbance while walking and weeding.

This video has been made possible with funding  from  South East Local Land Services

Dispose of Weeds on site

This video was made possible through  generous sponsorship from Bush-it, BARRC- Bushland And Rainforest Restoration & Consulting, Apunga Ecological Management and the support of South East Local Land Services

Get to know the six main weeding techniques

This video was made possible by sponsorship from Bushland Restoration Services, Waratah Ecoworks, Naturelinks, Paul Thistlethwaite, Joe Kielniacz  and Marita Macrae along with the support of South East Local Land Services

Get good at telling the difference between natives and weeds ,even at early stages 

This video was made possible by Regen Australia

You can support the production of the next regenTV series on weeding techniques by donating to regenTV.

For businesses and organisations sponsorship of videos are a business expense. Sponsorship opportunities are outlined on this sponsorship brochure.

Workshops and webinars

Recorded webinars

The webinars  are proudly supported by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife

Post-fire regeneration in NSW – Where are we 12 months on?

Presentations include;

• Kylie’s Beach Crowdy Bay NP – Post-fire restoration of a littoral rainforest by NPA volunteers with assistance from AABR. Presented by Tom Clarke
• Wollombi Valley– What help have fire-affected landholders needed most? Presented by Deb Holloman
• Yatte Yattah NR Rainforest Regeneration. What direction now? Presented by Gerard Proust
• Scottsdale -Bush Heritage – The importance of plant recognition and follow up. Presented by Dr Tein McDonald.
• Q & A session

Click here for  details of the webinar topics and timing 

Supporting recovery of fire-affected bushland in East Gippsland and northern Victoria.

Presentations include;

• Deirdre Griepsma (Parks Victoria) – Working for the greater good – managing threats for biodiversity recovery after the 2020 fires 
• Brett Mills (Trust for Nature) – Deer control on protected private land
• Paul Harvey (Trust for Nature) – Post-fire Challenges and Opportunities on Private Land
• Andrew Briggs (NE CMA) – Recovery of riparian areas – the challenges and long term approach needed
• Tom Crook (EGCMN) – Where are the Owls and what about the Rainforest? Partnerships for biodiversity in post-fire East Gippsland.
• John & Robyn Hermans (Trust for Nature Covenantor) – An East Gippsland Covenantor’s perspective 
• Andrew Murray (DELWP – Southern Ark Project) – The post-fire survival of Victoria’s Long-footed Potoroos in Far East Gippsland
• PANEL DISCUSSION – Q & A from participants. 

Visit this link for details on the format and timing of the presentations

Other publications:

Articles

• Pulling out weeds is the best thing you can do to help nature recover from the fires (D.Driscoll, The Conversation 12/1/20)
• Giving bushland a chance to recover after wildfires, (AABR News 143, Feb 2020)
• EMR feature: Community volunteers mobilise to help Lane Cove NP recover after wildfire (Reidy et al 2005)
• Bushfire Recovery helped by Rainforest Rangers (rainforest4.org)

Reports

• Defending the Unburnt, Discussion Paper – Opportunities to expand and enhance environmental stewardship
• Defending the Unburnt, Wildlife can’t wait: Ensuring timely protection of our threatened biodiversity
• Defending the Unburnt: Offsetting our way to extinction
• Fire and the Environment 2019–20 Summary : Biodiversity and landscape data and analyses to understand the effects of the fire events. (NSW Environment, Energy & Science Group)
• Zimmer, H, Cheal, D., and Cross, E. (2012). Post-fire Weeds Triage Manual: Black Saturday Victoria 2009 – Natural values fire recovery program. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Heidelberg, Victoria.

Research papers

• Peer reviewed papers post-fire recovery
• Planet Ark Report: Regenerating: Our Land, Our People, our future

Flyers

• Do you even need to plant?
• Reading the resilience of your site

 Links:

• Ecological recovery & revegetation links

Videos

• SWIFFT: Weed management after fire – Webinar series
• Key insights into the effects of, and recovery from wildfires – with Professor David Lindenmayer
• NCC Bushfire Program webinar, Flames in the Rainforests. – Dr Ross Peacock, Dailan Pugh OAM and Dr Tein McDonald AM 
• Botanist Jackie Miles gives her insights on the post fire veg response in July 2020 in the area around Quaama/Dry River, 10km south of Cobargo, which was hit hard on NYE.
  • Native tree response to fire
  • Native groundcover and understory response to fire
  • Weeds’ response to fire

AABR post-fire e-newsletters updates (Subscribe to the e-news here)

• 14/9/21 Launch of Edition 2.2 National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia.
• 3/5/21 Register for AABR’s Webinar Post-fire Responses in Victoria
• 31/3/21 Webinar: Post-fire regen in NSW.
• 5/3/21 Post-fire regen opportunities at Scottsdale NSW
• 22/2/21 Some dates for bush regeneration at post-fire sites (Crowdy bay, Barrington Tops)
• 4/10/20 Update on Sites- work dates. NSW/ACT
• 26/8/20 Spring is coming and so are the weeds. New possibilities.
• 3/8/20 First Aid for Burned Bushland Update- How are things going with post-fire regeneration
• 5/6/20 First Aid for Burned Bushland – World Environment Day
• 28/4/20 Post-fire update – Preparing for Productivity
• 17/3/20 Post-fire members update
• 5/3/20 Post-fire skill set survey
• 1/2/20Post-fire wildlife habitat regeneration response to members