University of Tasmania, Australia

This project is concerned with understanding forest mosaics in southwest Tasmania.

This project aims to investigate the rate, direction and magnitude of shifts in the boundaries of sedgeland forest mosaics in Southwest Tasmania and determine the age and rate of accumulation of organic soils with respect to the effects of vegetation type (and thus fire history). This will be achieved by determining carbon stable isotope composition and radio-carbon age, using AMS dating, of soil organic matter down 10 profiles sampled in a forest - buttongrass sedgeland mosaic. This approach builds on related, recently published and funded by AINSE, studies of landscape wide vegetation change.