The magnitude of the economic, environmental, and social value of water in Victoria has been most recently acknowledged in the white paper Our Water Our Future. Most of our water is sourced from forests, and our most pristine aquatic habitats are located in forests. However, state-wide water yield planning is constrained by forest hydrology knowledge gaps, particularly in relation to the effects of forest thinning and wildfire on water yields from forests. The management of risks to stream health in forests is also constrained by poor conceptual models of how pollutant sources (eg. burnt areas, compacted areas, roads) link to the stream network. The objective of this project is to provide improved security in the supply and quality of water from Victoria’s forested catchments under the most likely disturbance scenarios and management options.
The components of the project are:
Yield responses to management
Aims: to increase our ability to predict the impact of forest disturbance and management options on water yield through improved model parameterisation and validation. Central to this aim will be the closing of crucial process knowledge gaps such as the mixed-species age/transpiration relationships, an experimental program on the impacts of thinning, and the development of techniques to model the impact of climate change on fire regimes. Results will be used to inform forest management decisions, and predict water supplies under a range of disturbances. This work will contribute to meeting the challenges of managing public land for all values, and to improved understanding of ecosystem services from forested landscapes.
Hydrologic impact of wildfire and control burning
This project will capitalise on current work on the impacts on yield and quality of the 2003 Alpine fires, and the newly commenced control burning study. The aims are to
(i) quantify the magnitude and longevity of yield and quality responses to wildfire, identify the biophysical processes driving the responses, and develop and test models to predict impacts under differing fire severity and climatic conditions
(ii) The degree to which control burning practices may be modified (i.e. patch sizes, stream riparian protection, etc) to improve water quality outcomes is poorly understood. A targeted research program will fill these knowledge gaps and enable fire, forest, and catchment managers to develop optimal policies for fire suppression and water quality protection. The outcomes from the project will also provide for a more transparent process of public debate on the benefits of control burning.
Improvement in estimating water pollution risk in forest
Aims: In order comply with codes of practice and meet targets associated with national and international sustainability indicators we must improve our ability to target water pollution hazard reduction strategies in managed forests. To date traditional approaches have been based around conceptual hydrologic representations developed within agricultural landscapes that are not transferable to forested ecosystems. Native forests contain unique configurations of landscape elements (eg. roads, harvest areas, undisturbed areas). The research focuses on novel methodologies based explicitly on quantifying the risk of hydrologic connection between pollutant sources and the steam network. The enhanced prediction of the risk of generation and delivery of pollutants (i.e., sediment and nutrients) to streams in forests will allow managers to select optimal hazard reduction strategies.
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Measuring soil hydraulic properties in burnt forests
Measuring runoff, sediment and nutrients in burnt forests under rainfall simulation
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Where full papers are not available online please contact the authors directly (contacts above)
- Sheridan, GJ, Jones O, Lane PNJ. Analytic functional connectivity equations for infiltration-excess overland-flow under spatially variable conditions. Submitted to Environmental Modelling and Software
- Feikema, PM, Lane, PNJ, Beverly, CR and Baker, TG 2009. Application of Macaque and 3PG+ in CAT catchment-scale hydrological models: limitations and opportunities. In Anderssen, R.S., R.D. Braddock and L.T.H. Newham (eds) 18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM09 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand and International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, Cairns, Australia. 13-17 July 2009, pp. 3507-3513. ISBN: 978-0-9758400-7-8.
- Miehle P, Battaglia M, Sands P, Forrester D, Feikema P, Livesley S, Morris J and Arndt S. 2009. A comparison of four process-based models and a statistical regression model to predict growth of Eucalyptus globulus plantations. Ecological Modelling 220: 734-746.
- Jones, OD, Sheridan GJ and Lane PNJ. 2009. A stochastic runoff model incorporating spatial variability. In Anderssen, R.S., R.D. Braddock and L.T.H. Newham (eds) 18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM09 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand and International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, Cairns, Australia. 13-17 July 2009, pp. xxxx-xxxx. ISBN: 978-0-9758400-7-8.
- Smith HG, Sheridan GS, Nyman P, Lane PNJ, Haydon S. 2009. A framework for modelling suspended sediment flux following wildfire in forested water supply catchments, south-eastern Australia. In Anderssen, R.S., Braddock, R.D., and Newham, L.T.H. (Editors) 18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM09 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand and International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, July 2009, pp. 2377-2383. ISBN: 978-0-9758400-7-8.
Submitted papers
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Sheridan GJ, Jones OD, Lane PNJ. Stochastic rainfall-runoff equations for quantifying runoff and pollutant connectivity between hillslopes and streams. Submitted to Water Resources Research
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Smith HG, Sheridan GJ, Lane PNJ, Sherwin CB. Paired Eucalyptus forest catchment study of prescribed fire effects on suspended sediment and nutrient exports in south-eastern Australia. Submitted to International Journal of Wildland Fire
- Sheridan GJ, Lane PNJ, Sherwin, CB Noske PJ. Development of a predictive model of post-fire catchment sediment exports. Submitted to Journal of Hydrology.
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Lane PNJ, Feikema PM, Sherwin CB, Peel MC, Freebairn A. Modelling the long term water yield impact of wildfire and other forest disturbance. Submitted to Environmental Modelling and Software.
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Miehle, P., Grote, R., Battaglia, M., Feikema, P. and Arndt, S. Evaluation of a process-based ecosystem model for long-term biomass and stand development of Eucalyptus globulus plantations. Submitted to European Journal of Forest Research (December 2008).
Published peer-reviewed papers
- Miehle, P., Battaglia, M., Sands, P., Forrester, D., Feikema, P., Livesley, S., Morris, J. and Arndt, S. (2009) A comparison of four process-based models and a statistical regression model to predict growth of Eucalyptus globulus plantations. Ecological Modelling 220(5) 734-746 doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2008.12.010
- Takken I, Croke JC, Lane PNJ. (2008) Thresholds for gully initiation at road drain outlets. Catena 75: 257-267 doi:10.1016/j.catena.2008.07.001
- Lane, P.N.J., Sheridan, G.J., Noske, P.J., Sherwin, C.B. (2008) Phosphorous and nitrogen exports from SE
Australian forests following wildfire. Journal of Hydrology 361: 186-198  doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.07.041
- Takken I, Croke JC, Lane PNJ. (2008) A methodology to assess the delivery of road runoff in a forestry
environment. Hydrological Processes 22: 254-264. doi: 10.1002/hyp.6581
- Sheridan G, Noske P. Lane P, Sherwin C. (2008) Using rainfall simulation and site measurements to predict
annual erodibility and phosphorus generation rates from unsealed roads; validation against in-situ
erosion measurements. Catena 73: 49-62. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2007.08.006
- Feikema P, Beverly CR, Morris J, Collopy J, Baker T & Lane P. (2007) Predicting the impacts of plantation on catchment water balances using the 3PG Forest Growth Model. In Oxley L & Kulasiri D(eds), MODSIM 2007 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. 2237-2243. Canberra, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australasia. http://www.mssanz.org.au/MODSIM07/papers/41_s34/PredictingTheImpact_s34_Feikema_.pdf
- Lane P, Feikema P, Sherwin C, Peel M & Freebairn A. (2007) Physically-Based Prediction of Water Yield from Disturbed Forested Water Supply Catchments. Proceedings of the International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. 1 (1): 2953-2959. Melbourne, Australia: Modelling & Simulation Society of Australia & New Zealand. http://www.mssanz.org.au/MODSIM07/papers/53_s52/Physically-baseds52_Lane_.pdf
- Sheridan G, Lane P, Noske P, Sherwin C & Nyman P.( 2007) Runoff generation from water repellent soils with high infiltration capacity. In Oxley L & Kulasiri D(eds), International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. 1245-1251. Canberra, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australasia. http://www.mssanz.org.au/MODSIM07/papers/20_s49/RunoffGeneration_s49_Sheridon_.pdf
- Sheridan G, Lane P, Sherwin C & Noske P. (2007) Estimating increased sediment loads following wildfire: sampling strategies and stochastic uncertainty. In Oxley L & Kulasiri D(eds), International congress on Modelling and Simulation 2410-2416. Canberra, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australasia. http://www.mssanz.org.au/MODSIM07/papers/44_s23/EstimatingIncreaseds23_Sheridan_.pdf
- Sheridan G, Lane P, Noske P. (2007) Quantification of hillslope runoff and erosion processes before and after wildfire in a wet eucalypt forest. Journal of Hydrology 343 (1-2): 12-28 doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.06.005
- Bren LJ, Lane PNJ, Maguire D. An empirical, comparative model of annual radiata pine plantation water use for southern Australia. Australian Forestry 69 (4): 275-284.
- Lane PNJ, Sheridan PJ, Noske PJ. (2007) Changes in sediment loads and discharge from small mountain catchments following wildfire in south eastern Australia. Journal of Hydrology 331: 495-510. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.05.035
- Sheridan G and Noske P. (2007) A quantitative study of runoff and sediment generation rates from different forest road types. Hydrological Processes 21: 387-398. doi:10.1002/hyp.6244
- Sheridan G and Noske P (2007) Catchment scale contribution of forest roads to stream exports of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Hydrological Processes 21: 3107-3122 doi:10.1002/hyp.6531
- Miehle P., Livesley S.J., Li C., Feikema P.M., Adams, M.A., Arndt S.K. (2006) Quantifying uncertainty from large scale model predictions of forest carbon dynamics. Global Change Biology 12, 1421-1434 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01176.x
Fully-written Reports to DSE
- Lane PNJ, Peel MC, Sherwin CB, Freebairn A. (2006). Impact of the 2003 Alpine Bushfires on Streamflow:
Predicting the long-term impacts of bushfire on
water yield Research Report for the Bushfire Recovery Program, University of Melbourne. (Link to report)
- Feikema, P., Sheridan, G., Argent, R., Lane, P. and Grayson, R. (2006) Impact of the 2003 Alpine Bushfires on Streamflow:
Modelling the impacts of the 2003 bushfires on
water quality in catchments in Victoria and
New South Wales Research Report for the Bushfire Recovery Program, University of Melbourne, Coooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology. (Link to report)
- Sheridan GJ, Lane PNJ, Noske, PJ, Grayson RB, Feikema PM, Sherwin CB ( 2006) Impact of the 2003 Alpine Bushfires on Streamflow:
Estimated changes in stream exports of sediment,
phosphorus and nitrogen following the 2003
bushfires in Eastern Victoria Research Report for the Bushfire Recovery Program, University of Melbourne. (Link to report)
- Feikema PM, Lane PNJ, Peel MC, Sherwin CB, Freebairn A, Salkin O, (2006) Hydrological studies into the impact of timber harvesting on water yield in state forests supplying water to Melbourne – Part 1 of Hydrological Studies. eWater report to Department of Sustainability and Environment. (Link to Report Part 1a and Part 1b)
- Lane PNJ. (2006) Literature review of wild and prescribed fire impact on water quality and yield. Report to DSE Fire Management.
- Feikema PM, Lane PNJ, Sherwin CB (2007) Hydrological studies into the impact of timber harvesting on water yield in state forests supplying water to Melbourne – Part 2 of Hydrological Studies (Climate Change and Bushfires) Draft eWater report to Department of Sustainability and Environment. (Link to Report)
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