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Alliance prepares for fire season

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The Softwoods Working Group has engaged major stakeholders to develop a strategy to safeguard the softwood forestry industry in the Murray Region Hub ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.  

A $13M forestry funding package from the NSW government is aimed at protecting essential timber supplies in the region and will support key fire prevention, detection and response initiatives. 

The funding package was developed through consultation with local communities, forestry industry groups and government agencies. 

“It’s absolutely critical that we get all the stakeholders involved to understand what we have, where our risks are and where are the vital assets that need protecting” said Carlie Porteous, SWG Executive Officer. 

“The infrastructure and assets that were considered by the group involved both physical capital expenditures and digital infrastructure such as IT integration and communications, with a focus on securing much of it by the beginning of the fire season.”

In the Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20, six bushfires in Victoria and NSW merged near Jingellic, forming a huge blaze covering 632,315 hectares (1,532,484 acres).

“The funding initiative is key to enhancing the region’s overall safety and resilience,” said Peter Crowe, SWG Chair, added that. 

“By investing in critical fire prevention and response infrastructure, the project aims to protect not only the forestry industry but also the homes, livelihoods and well-being of the people living in the Murray region” 

During the meeting, stakeholders discussed various critical aspects, including the current state of play and the region’s fire risks related to fuel load, terrain and the location of essential assets such as future wood supply, mills, orchards and critical infrastructure. They also evaluated the existing infrastructure, its locations and the human resources available to operate it, identifying gaps and prioritising new infrastructure needs. 

(The Murray Region Forestry Hub takes in about 3.5million hectares in the area east of the Hume Freeway; west of the Great Dividing Range, south of Gundagai and taking in the plantations of NE Victoria down to Lake Eildon. Key forestry towns in the NSW part of the hub are Tumut, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Gundagai and Adelong. In the Victorian Hub area the main centres for the industry are Corryong, Tallangatta, Myrtleford and Wangaratta).

Corryong Courier 25 July 2024

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 25 July 2024.

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