Category Archives: News

Tarilta Gorge: burned off, washed away

Posted on 21 March, 2012 by fobif

It’s sometimes hard to know what to call DSE burning operations: control burns? Fuel reduction? Ecological burns? Too often none of the above apply: there’s little control, apart from keeping the burn inside the control lines [and as we know, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, News | 3 Comments

Stinker

Posted on 6 March, 2012 by fobif

FOBIF has alerted Mount Alexander Shire council of an outbreak of Stinkwort in the newly developed section of the Wesley Hill industrial estate. The plant, Dittrichia graveolens, is a declared noxious weed because of its capacity to get into pasture … Continue reading →

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Fire Briefing

Posted on 24 February, 2012 by fobif

Radio National’s Background Briefing program ‘Fighting Fire with Fire’ [broadcast on February 19 and available for podcast here] was a very fair effort to canvass all points of view on fuel management issues. The fact that it seems to have … Continue reading →

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Weeds are for burning

Posted on 21 February, 2012 by fobif

In December we criticised DSE’s management of the Quartz Hill management burn [see ‘The uses of fire‘] on the grounds that the exercise failed to do anything about the prolific weeds in the area. FOBIF has now written to local … Continue reading →

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2012 Autumn Fungi Workshops

Posted on 19 February, 2012 by fobif

The Central Victorian Fungi Ecology Workshop Series is running again this coming autumn. If you would like to know more about this curious kingdom, workshops include interactive displays, illustrated seminars and exciting forest forays deep into our local forests. Full … Continue reading →

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Maniac?

Posted on 17 February, 2012 by fobif

The endearing creature below is a Peron’s Tree Frog, sometimes uncharitably called the Maniacal Cackle Frog, owing to its distinctive ‘machine gun’ cackle. It’s not uncommon for frogs to be seen in household gardens in our district, and for that … Continue reading →

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Government under fire over fire

Posted on 25 January, 2012 by fobif

Following the release of ANU research showing that current fuel reduction practices are not improving public safety [see our post below], the press has reported that DSE has been burning widely in remote bushland, but has neglected to effectively reduce … Continue reading →

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Does fire protect us from fire?

Posted on 20 January, 2012 by fobif

Calls for more ‘fuel reduction burns’ have been insistent for years, particularly since the Black Saturday fires which burned over 2,100 homes and killed 173 people. The pressure for more management burns culminated in the Royal Commission’s recommendation that at … Continue reading →

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Snapshots in time

Posted on 16 January, 2012 by fobif

About 70 people crowded into the small Chewton Town Hall on January 16 for the launch of Ken McKimmie’s Chewton Then and Now, a collection of articles written over a number of years for the Chewton Chat. These articles are … Continue reading →

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Remnant Vegetation: the State Government responds to VEAC

Posted on 14 December, 2011 by fobif

The State Government has released its response to the Victorian Environment Assessment Council’s Remnant Native Vegetation report [see our May 24 Post on this]. VEAC made 13 recommendations, all designed to improve ecological connectivity between small parcels of land, encourage … Continue reading →

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