Burnt area protocol: keep it clean!

With the project taking off and more and more people making observations, it's a great time to remind everyone about preventing the spread of weeds and plant diseases.

@patrick_campbell has a great message to share, originally from Kerri-Lee Harris, for anyone contributing photos to the project:

"Avoid spreading weed seeds, diseases and fungi. Before walking into burned areas, think about where your shoes have been. They could be carrying seeds or soil-borne fungi … including Phytophthora! This fungus is deadly for many native plants and it is easily spread. Make a habit of spraying your shoes and other equipment with methylated spirits before entering or leaving fragile, regenerating bushland. And don’t forget your car. If you have driven along muddy tracks, wash your vehicle before heading off into another forested area."

Posted on February 16, 2020 07:54 AM by thebeachcomber thebeachcomber

Comments

Thanks for the heads up about Phytophthora. My dog runs free over my 500 acres (all totally burnt). Is him carrying the fungi a problem?

Posted by paulaboer about 4 years ago

Hey Paula. I'm pretty sure that dogs can carry the fungus, but I don't think it should be a problem in your case since your dog isn't tracking in soil, etc., from other places where it might have picked it up (I'm definitely not an expert though, so happy to be corrected by someone else).

Posted by thebeachcomber about 4 years ago

Thank you. I have the phytophthora fungi all over the lower slopes of my property, which I guess is useful for recovery. However, I was more concerned about him traipsing it into areas where it might not be yet (though I don't have any residual bush, everything is burnt.)

Posted by paulaboer about 4 years ago

Hi there,
I was interested to see these posts on Phytophthora sp. as my Dad had mentioned the need to be aware of this at his burnt property. Having done a search this link was most helpful with another to a Threat Abatement Plan, which states that it is actually more an algae..
https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive-species/diseases-fungi-and-parasites/phytophthora-cinnamomi-disease

Posted by anitalacey about 4 years ago

Thanks for the link, really interesting reading :)

Posted by thebeachcomber about 4 years ago

Hi folks. I am having trouble exporting the observations of fire severity. Any clues?

Posted by music2 about 4 years ago

Hi @music2, exporting directly from the project page won't work for you because it won't capture the observation fields (i.e. in your case fire severity). I've exported the data for you here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/export?flow_task_id=82592. You just need to click the green download button at the top. Let me know if this is what you wanted

Posted by thebeachcomber about 4 years ago

Wow! Thanks so much. I didn't want to hassle Casey. Thanks so much, yes, the download worked.

I created a map of fire severity and want to see how I did.

You can view or download it here if anyone is interested:

https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/google-earth-engine-burnt-area-map-geebam

Posted by music2 about 4 years ago

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