Category Archives: Fire Management

What do we know about all these burns?

Posted on 12 May, 2016 by fobif

Two of the terms of reference of the current enquiry [see above] relate to the environment. It’s fair to say that a recurring question–probably since Black Friday in 1939–is, how much fire can our environment stand before it starts turning … Continue reading →

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Here we go again

Posted on 15 February, 2016 by fobif

Like many other groups, FOBIF has been invited to make a submission to the fire planning process this year. The substance of our submission is as follows: Our views on fire management have not changed since our 2015 submission, the … Continue reading →

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It’s Australia’s only National Heritage Park: so, should it be managed in a unique way?

Posted on 14 December, 2015 by fobif

What is a heritage landscape, and what difference does the tag ‘heritage’ make to the way a landscape should be managed? Of course, all landscapes are ‘heritage’ or ‘cultural’ landscapes in one way or another: but there’s only one in … Continue reading →

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‘Risk management’: what does it mean, in practice?

Posted on 22 November, 2015 by fobif

The recently abolished ‘five per cent target’ policy aimed at burning at least 390, 000 hectares of public land per year. This target was never reached, and was probably never going to be possible. In the last five years, the … Continue reading →

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Lessons from Lancefield [1]: resourcing

Posted on 22 November, 2015 by fobif

The management burn which escaped from the Cobaw State Forest in October with disastrous results was the subject of an independent investigation led by Stuart Carter. His report was released last week. It can be found here. We won’t comment … Continue reading →

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Lessons from Lancefield [2]: public land, private land

Posted on 22 November, 2015 by fobif

A second point worth highlighting in the Carter report is the importance of integrating public and private land in fire preparations. The report says: ‘The Department must adopt a tenure-­‐blind approach to the management of bushfire risk including the planning … Continue reading →

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‘Five per cent’ topples at last

Posted on 20 November, 2015 by fobif

The State Government has finally accepted the recommendation of the Inspector General for Emergency Management to scrap the policy of burning five per cent of public land each year. The government will instead pursue a risk assessment policy. The new … Continue reading →

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Campbells Creek: some questions about fire

Posted on 10 October, 2015 by fobif

On October 2 DELWP conducted a Zone 1 [Asset Protection] burn in Campbell’s Creek. The area burned was 80 hectares, between Rowley Park Road and Pottery Road. The result, in yellow gum and box woodland with reasonably sparse understorey, appeared … Continue reading →

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Sometimes you wonder: who’s doing the most damage to our bush?

Posted on 24 August, 2015 by fobif

FOBIF has been getting numerous reports of roadside vandalism by both private and public operators. Walkers on FOBIF’s Tarilta excursion noticed more DELWP scouring on the Porcupine Ridge road last week, and this week we found numerous scalped verges on … Continue reading →

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Fire: it’s not just a matter of fuel reduction

Posted on 17 August, 2015 by fobif

Fire officers met the public in a lengthy consultation session on the draft Fire Operations Plan [FOP] through the afternoon and evening of last Tuesday [August 11] in Bendigo. An excellent link to the relevant documents with comments on the … Continue reading →

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