Category Archives: Fire Management

March fire meeting

Posted on 4 April, 2014 by fobif

Conservationists from the Bendigo and Otways regions met with DEPI senior staff in March to discuss matters to do with the Fire Operations Plan. Excellent detailed notes on this meeting can be found on the Living with Ecology and Fire … Continue reading →

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Forget about VCE results: here’s the DEPI report

Posted on 31 December, 2013 by fobif

DEPI has produced a report on its fuel management activity for 2012-13: Reducing Victoria’s bushfire risk on public land. The relevant sections can be found here and here. The report offers a four part scale of achievement: –‘fully achieved’ –‘achieved … Continue reading →

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Bushfire ‘risk landscape’ forum in Castlemaine

Posted on 29 December, 2013 by fobif

This forum–focussing on the West Central district–was held in Castlemaine on December 11 for a disappointing attendance of only 8 community members, outnumbered by DEPI officers. The West Central district covers the area from Geelong to north of Bendigo, and … Continue reading →

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Ecology last?

Posted on 29 December, 2013 by fobif

The Castlemaine Forum was given a summary of the bushfire risk profile developed by DEPI in cooperation with various research bodies. The profile is a working document rather than a set of conclusions, and is about risk to human life … Continue reading →

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Quotable quote

Posted on 29 December, 2013 by fobif

From DEPI’s Risk profiles report, page 30: ‘Fuel reduction is much more effective in some areas than others in reducing overall bushfire risk [to life and safety].’ This common sense observation is yet another dig at the five per cent … Continue reading →

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Fire: what the research is saying…and not saying–yet

Posted on 20 November, 2013 by fobif

FOBIF has just received the Box-Ironbark Experimental Mosaic Burning Project_Newsletter 5, on research conducted in the Heathcote-Rushworth forest. The newsletter documents important features of forest structure, like the presence of large trees, and the quality of ground cover. It’s a … Continue reading →

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How well is ‘fuel reduction’ working?

Posted on 13 November, 2013 by fobif

It’s been a good Spring for weeds, and one of those doing best around our district is Wild Oats, which is flourishing on roadsides and street reserves, along Forest Creek, and in some bush areas. Interestingly, wild oats has sprung … Continue reading →

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Bushfires: the why and the wherefore

Posted on 21 October, 2013 by fobif

The bushfire season is well and truly on for Australia,  as witness the destructive fires raging in NSW. The fires will no doubt be followed by discussion about prevention of such disasters. Readers interested in the subject could do worse … Continue reading →

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DEPI responds to fire submission

Posted on 14 October, 2013 by fobif

We have received a detailed response from the Department of the Environment to our submission on the 2012 Fire Operations Plan. The response can be seen here. DEPI’s letter clarifies a number of questions we posed in our submission, but … Continue reading →

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Risky business: suggesting a lot, saying very little

Posted on 7 October, 2013 by fobif

Participants in the July Bendigo fire briefing were told of a new approach to fire management, called the Bushfire risk landscapes approach. As we reported at the time, big claims were made for the new approach to fuel reduction, and … Continue reading →

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