'High frequency fire resulting in the disruption of life cycle processes in plants and animals and loss of vegetation structure and composition was listed as a KEY THREATENING PROCESS on Schedule 3 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 [24 March 2000].
Plants and animals have a range of mechanisms to survive individual fires. The long-term survival of plants and animals over repeated fires is dependent upon two key features:
- the ability of species to maintain life cycle processes; and
- the maintenance of vegetation structure over time as habitat for animal species.
Where fires occur very close together in time (high frequency fire) both these key features can be disrupted. If high frequency fire is sustained it will consequently lead to a loss of plant species, a reduction in vegetation structure and a corresponding loss of animal species. A high frequency of burning can eliminate some species if they are burnt before they seed (DEH 1994).
High frequency fire and inappropriate fire regimes have been identified as threats to a number of species and communities including:
Plants - Acacia bynoeana, Acacia courtii, Acacia macnuttiana , Acacia pubifolia , Acacia ruppii, Acrophyllum australe, Almaleea cambagei, Apatophyllum constablei, Asterolasia elegans, Boronia granitica, Boronia repandra, Calitris oblonga, Cynanchum elegans, Darwinia biflora, Elaeocarpus williamsianus, Epacris hamiltonii, Eucalyptus nicholii, Grevillea banyabba, Grevillea beadleana, Grevillea caleyi Grevillea mollis, Grevillea rivularis, Grevillea scortechinii ssp. sarmentose, Grevillea shiressii, Haloragodendron lucasii, Homaranthus lunatus, Lasiopetalum joyceae, Leptospermum thompsonii, Melichrus hirsutus, Phaius australis, Phaius tancarvilliae, Phebalium glandulosum ssp. eglandulosum, Phebalium lachnaeoides, Pimelea spicata, Pterostylis gibbosa, Pultenaea sp. Olinda, Styphelia perileuca, Swainsona plagiotropis, Velleia perfoliate, Zieria involucrate.
Birds - Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Eastern Bristlebird, Mallee Fowl, Ground Parrot.
Mammals - Rufous Bettong, Spotted-tailed Quoll, Eastern Quoll, Southern Brown Bandicoot, Black-striped Wallaby, Parma Wallaby, Southern Ningaui, Squirrel Glider, Long-nosed Potoroo, Long-footed Potoroo.
Ecological Communities - Ben Halls Gap National Park Sphagnum Moss Cool Temperate Rainforest, Duffys Forest, Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, Kurnell Dune Forest, O'Hares Creek Shale Forest, Pittwater Spotted Gum Forest, Other listed endangered ecological communities, including Cumberland Plain Woodland, Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest, Blue Gum High Forest, Elderslie Banksia Scrub Forest, Genowlan Point Allocasuarina nana heathland, Sydney Coastal River-flat Forest, Shale/Sandstone Transition Forest and Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest are all likely to suffer a loss of species composition if subject to repeated high frequency fires.