Blackened by Fire

The Three Sisters are a landmark in the forest, showing how a controlled burn can shape the environment.  A year after the fire, a friend commented that he preferred the look of the bush that had been burnt, as he liked the contrast of the bright green new leaves against the blackened bark of the trees. I don’t.  I like the softness of the grey bark melding in with the grey green leaves in the original forest.  I also love how the kangaroos blend in against that backdrop.  There have been some benefits from the burn, we have much more of an understorey growing in the burnt area, with rampant Kennedia spreading throughout the forest and lots of shrubby acacias growing well.  However, much of the new growth is sprouting from the bases of trees killed by the fire, I hope this is necessary regneration that will make the forest healthier in the  long term.  I have been keeping track of where the mushrooms have appeared over the last month to see if there is any difference between the zones.  My unscientific observations are that there are more Funnel Pax, Coral, Jelly and Boletes (Rhubarb and Ridge Stemmed) in the burnt areas, I have only seen the Russula in un-burnt and there are equal clusters of the Pineapple Topped White Amanita in both.

Here are some views on controlled burning by Sophie Love a farmer, marketer and writer. View her full profile here.