Plants, Nutrients and Australian Soils

Fire is a recurrent feature of many Australian ecosystems. Under the right conditions (such as the dry hot summers that occur throughout much of southern Australia), almost any vegetation type can burn. If the fire is sufficiently intense, much of the aboveground growth, in addition to the litter layer, may be burnt.

Fire rapidly releases the nutrients bound in plant tissue and some are lost from the system through volatilisation (particularly nitrogen) or are blown away as smoke or ash. Further losses occur via surface runoff. The remaining nutrients are returned to the soil, and the enriched soil (often called the 'ash-bed') provides an ideal environment for many regenerating plants.