Drought then wildfire reveals a compound disturbance in a resprouting forest

The frequency and intensity of forest disturbances such as drought and fire are increasing globally, with an increased likelihood of multiple disturbance events occurring in short succession. Disturbances layered over one another may influence the likelihood or intensity of subsequent events (a linked disturbance) or impact response and recovery trajectories (a compound disturbance), with substantial implications for ecological spatiotemporal vulnerability. This study evaluates evidence for disturbance interactions of drought followed by wildfire in a resprouting eucalypt-dominated forest (the Northern Jarrah Forest) in southwestern Australia.  Sites were stratified by drought (high, low) from previous modelling and ground validation, and fire severity (high, moderate, unburnt) via remote sensing using the relative difference normalised burn ratio (RdNBR). Evidence of a linked disturbance was assessed via fine fuel consumption and remotely sensed fire severity (RdNBR). Compound disturba...