Author Archives: fobif

As the picture shows, the Kalimna Park loop track has a shiny new sign at the entry, making it much easier to find the start of the walk on the Tourist road. The metal box at its side contains copies … Continue reading →

FOBIF has lent its name to the letter below, urging DELWP to take account of recent research on the Eltham Copper butterfly when it conducts its fuel reduction operation in Kalimna Park this autumn. This operation is a test case … Continue reading →

While we’re on the subject of fire in Box Ironbark systems, it might be worth while recalling important research conducted by scientists at the Arthur Rylah Institute in 2007, and published as Ecological burning in Box Ironbark Forests.  Thirteen years … Continue reading →

Here’s something to think about, from Victor Steffensen’s book Fire Country–how Indigenous fire management could help save Australia [Hardie Grant Travel 2020]: ‘When it comes to Aboriginal fire management, the old people didn’t burn every ecosystem. Many people think that Aboriginal … Continue reading →

The government is conducting another in its series of Engage Victoria consultations, this one being on the North Central Regional Catchment Strategy 2021-27. Readers may have picked up a touch of cynicism in FOBIF’s approach to these surveys, which we find … Continue reading →

We know the land is getting drier—well, most people know. Some politicians and commentators think this is just a passing phase. The rest of us have to deal with it. On this matter it’s worth quoting some draft findings from … Continue reading →

The harmless, even charming looking plant below is Tribulus terrestris—variously called Caltrop, bindii, cat’s head, goat’s head, yellow vine. It’s a native of North Africa, now naturalised around the world, including Australia. It’s thought to have been introduced here as … Continue reading →

The terms of reference for the national royal commission into bushfires contain some potentially fruitful lines of enquiry, including the ideas of national policy on biodiversity, land use planning, and indigenous land use practices. One of the challenges the commission … Continue reading →

Another part of the terms of reference is to investigate the matter of ‘hazard reduction.’ Although this has been a favourite theme of commentators wanting to distract the public from the fact that climate change might be making bushfires worse, … Continue reading →