Alien Environment Fuels Firestorms by Viv Forbes

A recent report from friends who suffered terrible losses of buildings, fences, pasture and cattle in the Coonabarabran fire commenced with the ominous and oft-repeated message: “a raging fire came out of the National Park straight for us”.

There is only one way to limit fire damage – reduce the fuel available.

Fuel load can be reduced in three ways – by grazing animals, by planned small “cool” fires, or by mechanical reduction with slashers, mulchers or dozers.

Australia’s grassland landscape was created and managed by generations of Aborigines who were masters at using man’s most useful tool – fire. Every explorer from Abel Tasman (1642) and Captain Cook (1770) onwards noted the smoke in the sky and the burnt trees whenever they landed. This burning created the open grassland landscapes that dominated pre-European Australia. Aborigines lit fires continually, so their small patchwork fires caused no permanent damage to the environment and created and maintained the healthy grasslands on which many animals and Aborigines depended.

Misguided tree lovers and green politicians have locked the gates on ever-increasing areas of land for trees, parks, heritage, wilderness, habitat, weekend retreats, carbon sequestration etc. Never before on this ancient continent has anyone tried to ban land use or limit bush fires on certain land. The short-sighted policy of surrounding their massive land-banks with fences, locked gates and fire bans has created a new alien environment in Australia. They have created tinder boxes where the growth of woody weeds and the accumulation of dead vegetation in eucalypt re-growth create the perfect environment for fierce fires. Once ignited by lightning, carelessness or arson, the inevitable fire-storms incinerate the park trees and wildlife, and then invade the unfortunate neighbouring properties.

Many of today’s locked-up areas were created to sequester carbon to fulfil Kyoto obligations. Who pays the carbon tax on the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere by wild fires?

The green bureaucracies and politicians are clearly mis-managing their huge land-bank. Aborigines and graziers did a far better job. There should be a moratorium on locking up any more land and a return to sustainable management for existing land holdings.  

Viv Forbes,
Rosewood    Qld   Australia
forbes@carbon-sense.com

 

Previous related discussions

Preventive Burning

Cold heart response to Gulf fires

A new year begins

It’s customary on New Year’s Eve to wish everyone a happiness, heath and wealth. We gather together at the likes of a BBQ, count down the seconds to midnight, sing auld lang syne and give each other a hug.

”*°•.¸”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”¸.•°*”˜
. . . . . . ♥♥♥ HAPPY ♥♥♥ . . . . . .
. . . . ♥♥♥ 2013 ♥♥♥ . . . . . .
¸.•°*”˜¸.•°*”☆ ★ ☆”*°•.¸˜”*°•.¸

How did you spend your New Year’s Eve? My activity was determined by the two days prior.

On Sunday afternoon I received a fire call out. The smoke first appeared on my horizon late morning and through the afternoon it put on a show forming its own cloud. It wasn’t as a big a fire as the last one on Hookswood Road but then the locals were determined that it wasn’t going to get any bigger and allow those clowns from Qld fire & rescue become involved. Throughout the night we burnt a wide buffer out in front of where the fire was heading and back-burnt the western side.

In bed at 3am, back out before 6.

Throughout new year’s eve day I was part of a team that help secure the eastern side across two properties. The contrast was a study of why there should be preventive burning. The first had areas of hazard reduction burns that we could hook up onto and serviceable fire breaks which made it possible to save as much of their grassland as possible. The second was an absentee landowner, of a large buildup in fuel load and with tall regrowth over any tracks. It was only because it was a long, narrow block that we put a dozer across it on an old track and that one of our number knew that track passed by a building that should be saved it there. Otherwise the entire property would have been burnt.

We had known this property as the tin hut. I had never been it there before but the dozer uncovered a handy cottage. I do mean literally, uncovered, as the dozer driver had to remove tall grass & regrowth right up to the buildings walls. These couple of photos shows the cottage and a fairly unique thunder-box.

 

  

 

So at the stroke of midnight I was firmly established in by bed after arriving home with the setting sun feeling more than a little tired.

While there is no harm in the sentiments of the usual new year’s greetings I wish to say that may in 2013 that you make the most of what comes your way; that you expect there to be mistakes, but seize the opportunity to enjoy those pleasant surprises; by listening, you will learn; be generous and enjoy what is given to you.

The moral from my little fire story from the closing days of 2012 is that you can always help those that help themselves

Preventive Burning

In my previous post, Hookswood Rd Fire, I expressed my frustration at the incompetence of Qld fire & rescue who took control of all efforts to fight a fire and by their inaction causing a big fire to grow to something far more dangerous and destructive. I was also angry to learn from those who were on the scene on the Sunday, Monday and first thing Tuesday before I was called in as part of the Downfall Creek rural fire volunteers, of 3 occasions were the fire could have contained as a small fire and that on 2 of these occasions the opportunity wasn’t taken because of blindly following of the rule book by Qld fire & rescue.

Having hours of inaction on my hands during Tuesday and hearing the outrage of my fellow rural fire volunteers I made sure that their views became known to the media. These two articles are the result –

 Heat on resourcingas fire threats intensify

More RFS review forQld

This image above was developed from the NAFI web site gives the perfect illustration of why preventive burning is very important. http://www.firenorth.org.au

The image also shows what sectors of the fire the Downfall Creek brigade played a part.

On Tuesday night our crew joined others to back burn to save property of a family. The Qld fire & rescue incident controller would have had a heart attack if he knew that we went to the lead of the fire yet many km’s away. The sky glowed red, thick smoke billowed overhead and the roar of the fire was enough to strike fear. Earlier we had sighted a spot fire start up 1km in advance of the fire front. We knew of nothing that would stop this fires advance. We left that location to go back to burn a wide band around the house and buildings.

The Downfall Creek rural fire brigade operated within the Barakula State Forest at the western flank of the fire from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday night. The forestry fire fighters were on the eastern side of the fire on the Wednesday and could only bring equipment to the western side on the Thursday. When the forestry workers shift changed soon after dark on Thursday we learnt from the shift supervisor what stopped the fire front from going any further. On Wednesday night he was just off to the east of the lead of the fire front. At 3am the fire was still crowning, that is burning in the tree tops, when it hit an area that had a preventive burn back in September. In the image above it is the peach colour area. The fire lost its ground fuel source and bit by bit died down to a halt.

Look at the image to see how few preventive burns have occurred in the fires path, both in privately held land and the state owned state forest. There was a large fuel build up in this area. You don’t need to be Einstein to know that fuel load plus hot temperature plus ignition equals destruction. More needs to be done to encourage cool burns in August and September.

Photo - Wens night in Barakula State Forest

 

UPDATE #1

In this article from September 2009, Guest post: Barakula state forest to be converted into a national park , retired forestor Peter Lear warns of the  inevitable destructive fire event occuring.

 

Roading systems are allowed to revert to scrub and very little controlled burning is done. Fuel build up will eventually lead to fire which in the case of Barakula will destroy 100 years of sustainable forest management in the cypress forests. Barakula endures regular periods of severe fire risk, so it is not a matter if fire will occur but when it will occur. The resultant devastation will be dependent on previous controlled burning regime and the management of the particular wildfire, which is very difficult without good access (roading) and trained staff.

 

A previous article in which Brian Bahnisch writes about Barakula

 

 

UPDATE #2

Related article published 21st Jan 2013, Alien Environment Fuels Firestorms by Viv Forbes