Can we reduce fire risk without trashing the joint?

Management of fire risk doesn’t only concern public land managers. That’s why last Sunday’s Connecting Country Living with fire and wildlife workshop for property holders was a welcome addition to community knowledge.

The purpose of the day was
• to use a local property as an example
• to improve participants’ general understanding of managing vegetation to maximise biodiversity and minimise fire risk AND
• to enhance their ability to interpret the landscape with the aim of balancing ecological asset and fire risk at the property and landscape level.
A big ask – but judging by the evaluations made at the end of the workshop there was a feeling that people would be able to return to their properties and use the skills and ideas gained to re-assess how they would manage in the future.
The speakers were refreshingly candid and very knowledgeable – Field Ecologist Julie Whitfield and Fire Ecologist David Cheal (both ex-DEPI) and Owen Goodings, CFAs Statewide Team Leader Vegetation Management. Added to this mix was the excellent facilitation by Chris Johnson, the organisation of Janet Barker and her team and the generous Taradale hosts Christine and Team Henderson.

The over arching message of the day was: know your property and its values, and the landscape it’s sitting in: there are no simple solutions to this problem.

A further report and resource information will be posted on www.connectingcountry.org.au

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