Journey through fire

After the walk. Photo by Julie Hurley

A good group rocked up in threatening weather for FOBIF’s July walk in the Fryers NCR at Drummond. Grey it was, and even misty, but great for walking. It might have been cold, but of course no one noticed, and the stillness in the forest was magical.

The corner of the forest centred on Nener track is a fascinating collection of zones affected by fire at different times and in different ways. A fierce bushfire ravaged part of it in 2009, and Department fires in 2008 and 2009 have left their mark. The 2008 reduction burn played a part in the battle against the 2009 Malmsbury fire.

The group was able to observe the changes in the forest with reference to survey work done by Ern and Lesley Perkins in 2008-9-10.

Most of the zone has staged impressive recovery, even rejuvenation, though the summit of Belltopper Hill still has the bleak look of a recent bushfire, 15 years after the event. The wetter gullies, on the other hand, look relatively untouched, and the zone features many magnificent Candlebarks. There are extensive patches of Bossiaea decumbens, as well as the rare Platylobium rotundifolium and Grevillea obtecta.These are not in flower now, but their mats give a unique feeling to the groundcover. This modest corner of the bush would be well worth a visit in spring.

Our thanks to leader Bernard Slattery for an instructive prowl through some fire history. This little pocket would provide perfect material for research into the ecological and other effects of fire on our bushlands. The frustrating thing about fire discussions is that they are often based on vague impressions which serve only to confirm prejudices. Solid, detailed baseline data is still lacking.

Photos below by Bernard Slattery.