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Effect of
fire on the soil seed bank of native vegetation on North Stradbroke Island:
implications for mineral sand mining rehabilitation
Assessment of prescribed burning on depletion of the soil seed bank and
alteration of its composition in the topsoil has been undertaken on North
Stradbroke Island as a means of assisting management decisions relating to
topsoil handling for mining operations. Results from experiments within this
project have shown that wildfire substantially reduces the quantity and
quality of the topsoil seed store in the dune soils of the Island, with
recovery times in excess of eight years. Further studies have concluded that
cooler prescribed burns and topsoil collection undertaken as part of the
rehabilitation strategy should be carefully timed to minimize the impact on
such an important source of seed for many species identified as fundamental
for the compositional structure of the post-mining landscape.
Sponsor: Consolidated Rutile Limited |
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