Canterbury has a significant number of hedgerows and shelterbelts near rural infrastructure but there is limited research on their role in fire risk. File photo. Photo: Supplied / University of Canterbury
A University of Canterbury student who saw his neighbour's house burn down in a wildfire has been part of a research project aiming to protect rural homes from future blazes.
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) warns the risk of wildfires is increasing, and the fire-prone Canterbury region has already seen a number of blazes this summer.
In partnership with FENZ, University of Canterbury student George Hamilton was part of a team of science students who spent 12 weeks identifying and mapping hedgerows and shelterbelts in rural Canterbury, investigating how they influenced fire behaviour.
The research held personal significance for Hamilton.
"My childhood neighbour's house burnt down due to a hedgerow fire that spread for about two kilometres. I sort of watched it happening as the fire spread down from the foothills jumping across hedgerows and paddocks and eventually burnt itself down. That experience stayed with me and motivated my interest in this topic," he said.
"By understanding the patterns and characteristics of hedgerows, communities can reduce fire impact before it starts and respond quicker when fires start."
George Hamilton (left) and Renee Martin, two University of Canterbury students involved in the research project. Photo: Supplied / University of Canterbury
Hamilton said Canterbury had a significant number of hedgerows and shelterbelts near rural infrastructure but, despite this, there was limited research on their role in fire risk.
This was what the project worked to address.
"We found that there was a relationship between where hedgerows and shelterbelts are spatially located with infrastructure, and we found certain kinds of hedgerows, for example pine, are far more flammable and therefore pose a greater risk to your house or infrastructure," Hamilton said.
On the other hand, they found that low-flammable native species, and planting hedgerows and shelterbelts further from buildings could play a big role in reducing risk.
Hamilton said the team saw significant potential for scaling up the research nationally and internationally.
"We looked at our research limitations and found that with more skills, time, and technology we could enable more precise differentiation of hedgerows from other vegetation and structures," he said
FENZ wildfire scientist Grant Pearce led the agency's involvement with the students.
"Those student projects are a great way to initiate new areas of research for organisations like ours. The students are up to date with the latest innovations and methodologies so they can offer a view that we may not otherwise think of ourselves," he said.
"The risk of fires is increasing and we're always looking at ways that we can help to sort of reduce that risk."
This was particularly true for Canterbury, Pearce said, as the region was one of the more fire-prone parts of the country.
He said hedgerows and shelterbelts did pose problems by helping fires to spread to buildings.
"Often there's a number of these hedgerows in close proximity and the fire can leapfrog from one to the other, either by throwing embers or by spreading along the hedge lines. So if we can get in and we can break those lines up, create some separation or replace them with other species or remove them altogether then that can help."
FENZ's advice was for people to protect their properties by removing dead, flammable material close to their homes, and choose less flammable species to plant nearby.
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