The landscape of the Adelaide Hills after the Sampson Flat fires is still a confronting sight, however, amongst the charred stumps, leafless trees and barren ground, there is a stirring amongst the ash! Kim chats with Tony Fox, District Manager of Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, who shows us around the Sampson Flat fire site, and tells us what gives him hope that the area will regenerate. Tony tells us about epicormic buds which lay dormant underneath the bark of some trees and are triggered by fire, and shows us that there are already many bursting out! Tony also shows us other plants that regenerate in response to fire as a means of reproduction, like the Hakea, which has seedpods that are triggered by fire to open and drop their seeds. Tony also takes Kim to the Parra Wirra Recreation Park which is 15 minutes from the Sampson Flat fire site. This is a great example of a site that has regenerated and responded after a prescribed burn about 3 and a half years ago. A fire passing through can have a very beneficial effect on allowing plants to regenerate, promoting young growth and new opportunities for some of the birds and animals that live there. Despite the devastating impact the recent fires have had on the local communities, the bushland is beginning its long process of regrowth and regeneration. Showing the resilience that nature provides in bushland regeneration. WATCH THE CLIP
