Category Archives: Fire Management

Indigenous joint management 3: cultural fire

The return of cultural fire in this region is a potentially dramatic event.  As yet the implications of this practice are not widely known, but it clearly plays a major role in the co management strategy: – ‘Delivery of Wi … Continue reading

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Kalimna Park burning postponed: what now?

Readers of the local press will be aware that the 171 hectare management burn planned for the town side of Kalimna tourist road has been postponed. The postponement came after a group of local naturalists raised the inconvenient fact that … Continue reading

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Management burns to start soon?

Residents around the region have been letterboxed by DELWP informing them of the imminent start of the Department’s fuel reduction burn program. It’s so far been too dry to safely undertake these burns up till now, but it remains to … Continue reading

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A sobering look across the Pacific

So far Victoria has passed through summer without disastrous fire events. In case you missed it, however, it’s worth casting a sympathetic eye across the Pacific to California, a US state with perhaps better environmental credentials than some. Maybe there … Continue reading

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Fuel for thought on fire

Fuel reduction burning is necessary, but not enough: that’s the conclusion of Tasmanian research released last Friday. The research, by the University of Tasmania, found that it would take an impossible amount of burning to reduce the impact of major … Continue reading

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OK, we have some facts: what do we do with them?

A disappointing feature of the ARI gathering was the disconnect between the findings and any possible management implications. Several questions aiming to find a practical response to the research were batted away. It’s very obvious that there are in fact … Continue reading

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Fires and misfires 1: how does a planned burn happen?

DELWP fire officers had two info sessions in this region last month to brief residents about the upcoming fire season, and planned burning operations. To see where these burns are taking place on the Department of Environment’s interactive map, click … Continue reading

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Fires and misfires 2: don’t be put off

In spite of these gloomy considerations, fire managers can point to some significant advances over past practices. Community consultation and information is certainly taken more seriously than it was 15 years ago. And the cautious reintroduction of indigenous burning to … Continue reading

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Winter–and a backward look

So it’s been the driest June on record around much of Victoria. Castlemaine weather station recorded 7 mls of rain for the month, compared to long term average of 56 mls. The previous lowest June rainfall was 13 mls in … Continue reading

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Not all fuel ‘reductions’ are the same

What conclusions are to be drawn from the Loop Track fire? In the absence of careful and detailed pre and post burn monitoring, caution is needed. We’ve found it impossible to get from DELWP a considered opinion on the effectiveness … Continue reading

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