Bushland across the Hawkesbury which was ravaged by fires a year ago has made a quick recovery, but it’s no surprise to researchers at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE).
Last September the Hawkesbury was exposed to extreme winds and temperatures of 32.2 degrees which saw fires flare up in Marsden Park, Windsor Downs and Bligh Park.
Recently, researchers at HIE took a look with before and after photos at how those burned areas recovered 12 months on.
Senior ecologist and lecturer at the University of Western Sydney-based HIE, Dr Matthias Boer, said last spring was exceptionally dry, with high winds and low rainfall causing bushland to become highly flammable.
‘‘The warm and dry conditions caused bushfire season to start early last year resulting in burnt bushland across many parts of the Hawkesbury, including residential areas,’’ Dr Boer said.
‘‘We had again a very dry winter season this year and are still well below average rainfall for the year in our region, but so far we haven’t seen much fire activity compared to this time last year.
‘‘The recent rainfall has helped to reduce the fire danger rating to low to moderate but this may change fairly quickly under warm weather conditions.’’
Dr Boer said the overall recovery of Hawkesbury bushland had been good, with most trees re-sprouting thickly within months after last year’s fires.
‘‘Speed of recovery after fire depends on the severity of the fire itself and also on the moisture conditions afterwards. Much to our anticipation, the bushland in the Hawkesbury is looking as green, thick and tall as it did before the 2013 fires.’’