BOTANICAL BRIEFING Fire, Forest Regeneration and Links with Early Human Habitation: Evidence from New Zealand

New Zealand forests burn less frequently than tussock grasslands,heath or shrublands. Species composition, past disturbance andstand condition determine inflammability and fuel load, andconsequent fire intensity and spatial extent. Before peoplearrived, fires were ignited by lightning during drought yearson the eastern sides of both islands. Volcanism occurring every300–600 years was associated with fires in the centralNorth Island. A review of radiocarbon-dated charcoal from theeastern South Island, and of evidence for fire in pollen profilesfrom the North Island, provide the basis for an assessment offire frequency. Forest fires have occurred on both New Zealand'sislands throughout the Holocene at least every few centuries,until the last millennium when frequency increased. The ‘returntime’ of fire at any one place in the forested landscapewas probably one or two millennia. Burned areas usually succeededto forest again before the next inflagration. Consequently fireadaptation is infrequent in the New Zealand flora, and Polynesianforest clearance was rapid and largely permanent. There is anindication of an increase in fire frequency in the late Holocene,and a clear signal associated with people approx. 700 yearsBP. Separating the earliest anthropogenic fires from the backgroundlevel of natural burning will be difficult without additionalevidence.Copyright 1998 Annals of Botany Comapny Fire history, New Zealand, palynology, Maori, climate, volcanism.