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Controlled Burn in Vic Ranges, Grampians 3-Nov-2003 At 5:24:49 PM Molybdenum

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hi y'all

i thought i might quickly enlighten the majority of you who seem a bit confused about the role fuel reduction and 'ecolgical' burns play in ausralia, since i get to be examined on the topic in 2 weeks.

1. Yes, many of australian vegetation types require bushfire in order to prosper

2. However, they require BIG, HOT, INTENSE fires ( 20,000 to 150,000 kW/h: the variety that flakes rock and obliterates anything in it's path) in order to stimulate epicormic growth and set seed

3. You don't get this with "fuel reduction" burns. They don't even come close - the limit of manageable intensity is about 3000 kW/h - pathetic. What's more, the vegetation requires fires that are not just intense, but infrequent (as in every 50 >100 yrs). In time, 5-10 year burns will replace one vegetation type with another - You lose most of the undergrowth and any thin-skinned species that can't deal with frequent burning.
Eventually you lose species which can't efficiently germinate or aren't able to regenerate from a low-intensity fire (want to see this happening? visit victoria's last proper banskia woodland at wilson's prom.) and the whole comunity as you see it dissapears.

"Fuel Reduction' burning was designed to protect property; that's all it's good for. It doesn't help maintain an area's natural biodiversity ( But i'm sure i don't need to tell you the likelihood of PV ever being able to perform 'real' ecological burning )

my 2 c

Oh and rock weasel, i think arapiles is developed enough as it is.