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We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.

CONTENTS I Introduction II Understanding the Context for Australia's Legal Framework for Bushfire A Australia's Bushfire Regimes Are Changing B Australian Laws for Bushfire Have a Long History III Dissecting [...], Australian landscapes, people and laws have a long history with fire, but climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of fires and the scale of their impact. In this article, we ask the question: what laws make up the constituent parts, or the anatomy, of our legal framework for bushfire? We propose a novel conceptual model for the full spectrum of laws that relate to bushfire--from the crime of arson through to consumer lending laws and the Constitution--and reveal a complex web of (sometimes competing) values, objectives and substantive tools. Understanding this legal context can help us to prepare more effectively for a future that will be defined by our experience of fire.

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Context: Tasmania is the epicentre of the tallest and most massive angiosperms on Earth. Aims: To survey Tasmania's tallest and most massive (large trunk volume) trees. Methods: LiDAR and satellite imagery identified areas with very tall trees. Field surveys recorded the geolocation, height, diameter and condition of exceptionally large individuals, and effects of recent fires. Key results: Giant trees occur in a band between dry forests and temperate rainforests, with the largest trees in areas with 1000–1500 mm rainfall and 8–12°C mean annual temperature. We documented 18 trees taller than 90 m, and 32 trees with trunk volume of >250 m3. Trunk volume was better correlated with diameter at 10-m height than at breast height, owing to irregularities near the base of large trees. The tallest tree was measured to be 99.6 m tall (now 96 m tall), and the most massive tree had a trunk volume of 460 m3. Most of the largest and tallest trees in Tasmania were Eucalyptus regnans , but occasional individuals of Eucalyptus globulus, E. obliqua and E. tasmaniensis were also over 85 m tall or had a trunk volume of >280 m3. Post-fire surveys highlighted vulnerability of giant Eucalyptus trees to fire, with 60% of the largest known trees killed by fire since 2004. Conclusions: The giant trees of Tasmania are of global significance, but vulnerable to a warming, drying climate and associated increase in fire activity. Implications: We outline steps for the conservation of giant trees, a task made urgent by climate change. A comprehensive survey of Tasmania's wet eucalypt forests was conducted to find, measure and document the health and environmental characteristics of the state's tallest and most massive trees. Results confirmed Eucalyptus regnans to be one of the world's tallest flowering plant species, and significantly, the most massive angiosperm known to science. Photograph by Brett Mifsud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pencil pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides) is an iconic, paleoendemic tree restricted to historic fire refugia in Tasmania's western mountains. Anthropogenic climate change is increasingly exposing these areas to wildfire. Given that pencil pines have little capacity to recover from fire, and show scarce natural recruitment across their core range, they will be lost from many areas without interventions to restore population viability to burnt stands. Methods: We conducted a large-scale field study targeting pencil pine stands burnt in recent (2016) and historic (1960) fires. Using small (0.5 m2) experimental plots distributed across a range of topography and vegetation, we trialled three interventions: i) protecting groups of naturally germinated seedlings from herbivores in situ (35 plots); ii) introducing seeds via multiple sowing methods (300 plots); and iii) transplanting tube stock propagated from seed or cutting material, with and without herbivore protection (1007 plots). Results: We found that protecting natural germinants from herbivores did not prevent seedling mortality over 2.5 years, and sowing interventions largely failed. Most transplants exposed to herbivores failed to establish after 1.5 years, but establishment rates were high with herbivore exclusion, indicating strong predation by native macropod herbivores. Transplant establishment also varied with fine-scale topography, with the best outcomes in well-drained and Sphagnum dominated positions, and the worst outcomes in poorly-drained positions, suggesting young pencil pines are sensitive to waterlogging. Transplant establishment rates varied little between recently and historically burnt sites, and were insensitive to how plants were propagated. Discussion: In summary, transplanting tube stock with herbivore protection is a promising method for restoring burnt pencil pine stands, and establishment rates can be improved by selecting favourable planting positions at fine scales. Our findings suggest pencil pine stands burnt decades previously are suitable for restoration. Managers seeking to conserve pencil pines may begin restoring both historically and recently burnt stands, alongside protecting unburned stands from fire. Interventions should be refined through adaptive management, including re-surveys of this long-term trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]