Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

As we reported on our website last month, DSE has released the draft Fire Operations Plan for consultation. Although FOBIF has many concerns about the plan, and urges members to consult it and make a submission based on their local knowledge, we are urging you here to focus on proposed burns in Zone 3. These are burns generally relatively remote from settlement, and have in the past on paper been devised principally for ecological reasons.

The draft DSE Fire Operations Plan proposes several significant Zone 3 burns in our region in the next three years. The stated purpose of these exercises is: ‘to provide an irregular mosaic of areas of fuel reduction which will complement works in adjacent fire management zones and can assist in ecological resilience and forest regeneration.’ All burns are proposed for Spring between now and 2015:

Brown's Gully, Castlemaine Diggings NHP: FOBIF is getting mixed messages about how much of this bush is to be burned, and what attention if any will be paid to ecological values. It's up to the public to urge that DSE follow its own policies on Zone 3 burns.

Muckleford: Dunn’s Reef—257.6 ha [CAS 11] and A Frame Tk—319.9 ha  [CAS 12]

Maldon: Donkey Farm Tk—188.4 ha [CAS 10].  Nuggettys –274.7 ha [CAS 5]

Chewton: Railway Dam—193.4 ha [CAS 13]

Taradale: Plantation Tk –151.7 ha [CAS 17] Carnell Rd—225 ha [CAS 14]

Glenluce: Amanda’s Tk 409.3 ha [CAS 15]

To find maps of these proposed burns, go to the DSE website:

FOBIF and other interested groups were told by DSE in July that the objective in zone 3 is to aim at ‘at least 20%’ of burn coverage: that is, to burn 20+% of each named parcel, perhaps up to 35%. However, we have been told recently by fire operatives that they aim to burn 50% of each zone 3 parcel [This confirms our observations of past Zone 3 burns, some of which go much higher than 50%]. Further, although the DSE Code of Practice and the stated aim of the burn as we have quoted it above requires a clear ecological perspective on the burn, we have been reliably informed that the intention of these exercises is purely fuel reduction.

It is important that pressure be exerted on DSE to implement its own stated policy regarding the use of fire for ecological purposes.

You can make a difference by writing a short submission to DSE by August 31:

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The Box Ironbark experimental mosaic burning project is under way. The project is the joint responsibility of DSE, Parks Victoria and Latrobe and Deakin universities. Research in the project will be based around 16 planned mosaic burns of 100 ha each in the Heathcote Rushworth forest. Eight of the burns were conducted in Autumn last year, and eight in Spring. Half of them aimed at 35-50% burn coverage and half at 75-90%.

The project’s monitoring program focuses on questions like:

–How do different mosaic burns affect the composition of plant communities?

–Does burning stimulate germination of additional plant species from the soil seed store?

–Do mosaic burns cause changes in the density of tree stems in the forest?

–Are logs, stumps and areas of deep litter lost at disproportionate rates due to high flammability?

–Do planned burns alter the composition of woodland bird communities?

–How does fire affect the movements, foraging behaviour and breeding success of individual birds?

–Do burns result in an increase in the home range size of the Yellow-footed Antechinus?

–Do fires result in a loss of den sites for the Yellow-footed Antechinus?

You can get more details and keep abreast of news about this project by getting on the mailing list for its newsletter. Write to the project officer, Greg Holland at Deakin Uni: greg.holland@deakin.edu.au