This study reports the immediate impact of planned fires on carbon distribution and storage in six forest
types of south-eastern Australia. Aboveground carbon (AGC) ranged from 56 to 183 Mg C ha1 where
between 4 and 11 Mg ha1 (or 6% of AGC) was lost in planned fire. Between 3.6 and 5 Mg C ha1 was
redistributed within the forest to the soil surface as char and partly combusted organic matter. Most carbon
was lost from litter while near surface vegetation and dead trees either standing or lying were the
next largest C loss groups. Overstorey tree biomass (Mg C ha1) was a significant predictor of carbon loss
in major fuel categories, explaining 45% of total carbon loss. The loss of coarse woody debris (CWD, %)
was strongly correlated with losses in litter (%, R2 = 0.44) and with fireline intensity (%, R2 = 0.38).
These C loss estimates in planned fire establish an empirical basis for further modeling to identify management
options for mitigating fire-induced C losses from SE Australian Eucalyptus forests.