Utilising ecological burning as a management tool to maintain and enhance wildlife habitats and valuable ecosystems.
Forico manages large tracts of highland Poa grassland, a threatened vegetation type, at Surrey Hills in North West Tasmania. These grasslands are protected through covenants and other agreements with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas).
The strategies we use to maintain these grasslands to date has included low intensity ecological burning predominantly in spring. This reduces the potential for natural succession, in which the grasslands would transition into scrub and mature natural forest, resulting in the loss of grassland ecosystems and the biodiversity they support.
Through this structured burning program over prescribed timelines, plant and animal species continue to benefit and flourish from intervention.