Data for: Bark attributes determine variation in fire resistance in resprouting tree species

Observations of stem diameter, bark thickness and resprouting in burnt and unburnt eucalypt forests. In this study we measured post-fire mortality and topkill across eight tree species with varying bark types. We also estimated pre-fire bark thickness (from relationships between stem diameter and bark thickness derived from unburnt forest) and measured bark density. We undertook our study at two dry sclerophyll eucalypt forests located in eastern Australia. The two study areas were subject to wildfire 18 months prior to measurements, with one site characterised by a semi-arid climate, and the second site (located 400 km south-east) characterised by a humid climate. We found that species with thick bark and a low bark density were most resistant to topkill.