Vic Jurskis
Dear Editor,
Ross Bradstock’s response failed to address “the recommended fire frequency thresholds” aka ‘Bradstock Intervals’, which featured in his NRC media release and my commentary on it. Those ‘recommended’ intervals are severely restricting the mild burning which is essential to maintain healthy and safe landscapes.
129-138_human_fire_maintains_a_balance_of_nature.pdf (bushfirecrc.com)
Furthermore, three aspects of the Emeritus Professor’s response elucidate my argument that megafires are a purely political crisis:
Firstly, his claim that “The 2019/20 fires in south eastern Australia were a direct outcome of record breaking drought, heat and unrelenting fire weather” is wrong.
During the Settlement Drought, Aboriginal fires were constantly burning northwest of Sydney. Three consecutive summers of extreme weather didn’t produce any megafires. It was the worst drought in 500 years, with intense heat and winds, but records officially commence in 1910, after the Federation Drought.
Secondly, the alleged ‘lack of knowledge’ of how gentle burning might be used to maintain fire safety, “accepted by various recent inquiries, post 2019/20: e.g. NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry, Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements” is entirely within the minds of the academics and fire chiefs who ‘informed’ those inquiries.
Experienced land and fire managers who gave evidence to the 2003 Parliamentary Inquiry were excluded from these recent inquiries. The Royal Commission neglected to consider that report. Six decades of empirical data, confirming that sensible fire management can prevent firestorms and megafires in extreme weather, were ignored. Adding insult to injury, Professor Bradstock and his Bushfire Research Hub advised the “NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry”.
Thirdly, prescribed burning is certainly “limited by funding”, and Professor Bradstock’s alma mater in Wollongong University, together with his Research Hub, consumed at least $20 million dollars of public funds that would have been much better spent on sustainable land and fire management.
Their ‘research’ purports to show that prescribed burning cannot work across most of southeastern Australia, and does not work anywhere when wildfires are driven by extreme weather. This modelling was based on false assumptions and is entirely contradicted by empirical data and real-world experience.
A minimum of 8% of the landscape must be treated each year to prevent megafires, and the benefits persist for up to 6 years. So, unless at least half the landscape is properly managed, firestorms will explode in bad seasons. Long-term impacts of prescribed burning on regional extent and incidence of wildfires—Evidence from 50 years of active fire management in SW Australian forests – ScienceDirect
Professor Bradstock and his associates assessed the ‘effects’ of treating less than 1% of the landscape each year, across 30 regions of southeastern Australia, over 34 years. Of course it didn’t work. That’s why we’ve had ongoing disastrous megafires.
Black Summer was indeed “a foretaste of what is soon to come”, because our political leaders are spending zillions of dollars on bad advice and emergency response from academics and fire chiefs. They don’t see that healthy and safe landscapes depend on people who understand fire as a friend and ally. Firestick Ecology: Fairdinkum Science in Plain English (connorcourtpublishing.com.au)
Aborigines were net-zero emitters, because they used bioenergy – i.e. wood fires and muscle-power, with stone-age technology. Modern society can’t achieve that, because we need metals, glass, plastics, electricity, electronics, and fast long-distance communication and travel. We could achieve massive reductions in emissions by preventing megafires. But those huge, easily prevented emissions aren’t counted because academics such as Professor Bradstock are in charge of both the fire regimes and the carbon accounting.
Vic Jurskis has written two books published by Connor Court, Firestick Ecology and The Great Koala Scam.
Related stories: Megafires:Prof Ross Bradstock responds ; Our megafires are a political, not a climatic crisis: Vic Jurskis; Threatened species habitat at risk from a hotter climate: University of Wollongong
