Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Some anguish was expressed in the meeting about the inflexibility of the zones. Members will recall that we are concerned at the large Zone 1 area on Mount Tarrengower, and the Zone 2 south of Guildford. The fact is that the consultation run by DSE over zoning was little noticed [see our 2011 reports here and here]: local conservationists managed to have some zones changed in this process, but some were unnoticed. It’s fair to say that the hugely expanded burn program is bringing home to people some of the deficiencies in theory and practice which had been relatively unnoticed until recent years. Although FOBIF participated in the 2011 process, there were sections of the Zone map which escaped our attention.

Mount Tarrengower, south side: it's proposed to burn this area every five years.

This is increasingly an important problem. For many years DSE has tacitly acknowledged that Zone I [which is burned every 5  years] is an ecological sacrifice area: it’s a permanent artificially created fire zone, probably infested with weeds. Recent changes to the prescriptions for Zone 2 mean that these areas are not much better. In other words, the requirement to prioritise concern for human life has been interpreted as the requirement to destroy large areas of bushland. The Tarrengower area is a good example: it is proposed to burn 90% of this 285 ha area at the top of the mountain every five years. This is disastrously inside the ‘tolerable fire interval’ established by fire ecology experts for this environment, and if it is pursued, the mountain will look very different inside fifteen years. DSE has acknowledged the impact this will have on natural values [not to mention tourism], and is apparently looking for ways to deal with it. In particular, it was suggested that the Zone 1 section of Kalimna Park may be fuel reduced by means other than fire. Zone 1 prescriptions allow for fuel reduction by means other than burning [for example, mowing or slashing]: it’s hard to see why these means are not used more widely.

Burn intensity

In some cases, a patchy low intensity burn is preferable to a high intensity burn. It is apparent that from both the fuel reduction and biodiversity points of view some high intensity burns increase fuel hazard following the burn and reduce biodiversity values. Asked ‘how do you control burn intensity’, DSE replied that this was done via prescriptions in the burn plans. These

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We have received a response from DSE to our submission on the draft Fire Operations Plan.  We will be making a comment on this response and the state of consultations on fire management after the upcoming meeting between DSE and local groups in Bendigo on Tuesday next, October 9. The DSE response is printed in full below:

‘Thank you for your submission regarding our planned burning in the Murray Goldfields District. Your input has been considered during our planning process.

‘The DSE planned burning program aims to minimise the impact of major bushfire on human life, property and the environment. The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission recommended changes to the Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land (2006). This Code supports delivery of an expanded planned burning program to reduce fuel levels and the likelihood of bush fires becoming uncontrollable.

‘Our Fire Operations Planning Process starts in February and is finalised in October. During this period DSE consults with a broad range of stakeholders regarding our planned burning on public land.

‘DSE has considered your submission and makes the following response:

• This year a new “Code of Practice for bushfire management on public land 2012” was released which outlines Zone 3 or Landscape Management Zone (LMZ) burns with an aim to provide bushfire protection outcomes by reducing the overall fuel and bushfire hazard in the landscape as well as provide for ecological outcomes. The burns zoned as LMZ’s that you have identified have an aim for at least 20% burn coverage and up to perhaps 40% coverage of target areas within the burn unit.
• Please note that CAS 012 – A Frame track has been withdrawn from the Fire Operations to allow for longer growth stages.
• CAS 005 – Nuggetty Hill has been reduced in size.
• CAS009 Rusconis Road has been halved in size to exclude some rich flora and fauna values in line with your comments.

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