Category Archives: Fire Management

Tassie fire chief: reduction target ‘no benefit’ to safety

At the risk of beating the same old drum on the five per cent burning target practised by the Victorian Government,  we reprint here reports from Tasmania on the island government’s parallel policy. The report is from the Weekly Times … Continue reading

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Fuel reduction: how long do the benefits last?

Evidence presented to the Tarran Valley panel by bushfire expert Stephen Carn on behalf of the CFA shines some light on the limits of fuel reduction. Discussing the fire risk in the area surrounding the proposed development,  Mr Carn says … Continue reading

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Tarran Valley 1: development proposal comes up for air

Members will have seen local press reports on a proposal to develop land at Tarran Valley in the Sandy Creek area, 2 kilometres from Maldon, on the north side of the Maldon-Castlemaine road. The development proposal, first put up in … Continue reading

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Tarran Valley 2: the cost of development to nearby bushland

Would the development require that woodland in the reserve be severely altered in order to protect residents from fire? The CFA submission to the panel states that ‘the broader surrounding bushland having interface with the subject land has the potential … Continue reading

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Tarran Valley 3: the cost of fire

The DEPI submission is an eloquent statement of something which has been informally acknowledged for years: that fuel management in Asset Protection Zones necessarily involves destruction of important ecological values. DEPI also provides us with another interesting insight into fire … Continue reading

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Kalimna Park burn delayed

The Friends of Kalimna Park have been informed that the DEPI burn planned for this autumn has been deferred to next year, to allow for more detailed planning of this exercise close to Castlemaine. The fuel reduction exercise will involve … Continue reading

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March fire meeting

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

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

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?

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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