Response, resilience and recovery of Tasmania's endangered Pencil Pine using a multi-archive palaeoenvironmental record

Rapid climate change is threatening fire-sensitive ecosystems in southeast Australia, particularly in Tasmania's Central Plateau. Recent extreme wildfires have devastated the Pencil Pine, a highly valued and fire-sensitive Gondwanan conifer. Traditional ecological approaches are insufficient to understand how these species respond to fire over long timescales. A combination of palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology and geochemical analysis is critical to gather detailed data for targeted management strategies to mitigate further damage to these ecosystems.

The paleoenvironmental reconstructions from this study will provide the tools for determining the best ways to reduce disaster risk and strengthen Pencil Pine resilience. This includes identifying whether the removal of flammable species and/or biomass should be prioritised from areas containing remaining Pencil Pine stands, understanding the importance of certain hydrological processes and states and determining which factors should be given the highest priority when selecting areas for management. This approach will build on current knowledge about the response, resilience, and post-fire recovery of Pencil Pine dominated systems in Tasmania. It will also produce data to support investment in long-term programs for mitigating and reducing risk within these critically threatened ecosystems.