Fire Survivor

Tree-fern re-shooting after fire Photographer - John Broomfield Source - Museum Victoria

Tree-ferns are capable of producing renewed frond cover within weeks of a fire, their living core being insulated by their fibrous exterior.

Soft Tree-ferns and Hard Tree-ferns frequently survive wildfire to attain ages of greater than 300 years.

This means that they are often older than the tall forest trees which tower above them.

The survival of tree ferns is likely to strongly influence the survival of other plants and animals that depend on the moist microclimate they create beneath their fronds.