Fire

In the face of already numerous adversities, the Northern Rivers of NSW is grappling with yet another concern: food security. Floods, bushfires, and the ongoing impact of the Covid pandemic have exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s food system but also presented an opportunity to re-think how food is grown, distributed and consumed.

Tweed Shire Council and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) have updated mapping of bushfire prone land across the Tweed Shire area ... The latest Tweed Shire mapping has been developed based on NSW RFS guidelines and is the culmination of input from Council’s bushfire, GIS and ecology technical staff, as well as external expert advice.

A new publication launched by the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJAARA) is tackling climate change head-on ... The strategy includes a plan to introduce cultural burning practices with a specific focus on restoring unhealthy sections of the landscape.

The Upper Murray Community Recovery Committee (CRC) is partnering with Alpine Valleys Community Leadership (AVCL) to deliver a program for emerging and future community leaders of the Upper Murray region and other fire-affected areas of the Towong Shire ... "This program is an opportunity to develop leadership skills which will enable participants to effectively contribute to the community capacity building and economic development of the Upper Murray": Jo Mackinnon, Chair, UMI.

A number of Cudgewa North residents, concerned about the delays in rehabilitating the Bluff Falls tourism area following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, claim that Parks Victoria is not doing enough to get the recovery project underway. They say that there has been a lack of communication about the works.

Michelle Daw. Former Kadina local Dan Brind is part of the South Australian contingent helping to battle massive wildfires burning out of control in Canada ... Mr Brind, who is ForestrySA’s fire manager, left Adelaide for Canada last week and is part of the 18 SA firefighters from the Country Fire Service and the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA in the delegation.

John O'Donnell reviews eucalypt decline and dieback in relation to the lack of low intensity fire management across Australia. John considers that exclusion of frequent low intensity mild fire is the primary cause of eucalypt decline in Australian native forests and woodlands and this has been inadequately recognised ... This lack of recognition is in itself a major environmental issue and ignores up to 60,000 years of Aboriginal burning practices across the landscape.

Not even one month after an uncontrolled fire on Government land triggered Traeger MP Robbie Katter to request an inquiry into the State Government’s aggressive take-up of land without properly resourcing it, several more blazes have broken out. Katter’s Australian Party Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter received complaints that constituents were left to battle two grass fires in about two weeks 30 kilometres east of Hughenden that were likely caused by cattle train activity and nearby high fuel loads.

More than 5,000 trees and shrubs now call the banks of Thowgla Creek home thanks to the combined efforts of more than 30 volunteers over three days. The plantings will accelerate the recovery of the water system following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires by stabilising banks, providing shade and housing terrestrial food items that fish love.

Bushfire season is approaching! The Rockhampton Region is at its highest risk from July to February. Chair of the LDMG and Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said the region is at a higher risk for the 2023-24 season in comparison to previous fire seasons.

“Having grown up on stations which I loved very much, stations and farms have and always will be close to my heart. Rural Aid is an organisation that ‘stands with our mates in the bush’ during their hard times, and it does get tough in the bush, with floods, fires and severe drought, in addition to the usual dangers of snakes, spiders and in some northern areas, crocodiles too,” Mrs Rinehart said.

Blanket bans of native forest harvesting will not improve our carbon balance or recover biodiversity according to the professional association for forest scientists, growers and managers, Forestry Australia. President Dr Michelle Freeman said the consensus position of independent scientific experts, forest managers and researchers  is that active management of forests is required to maintain forest health, mitigate fire risk, conserve biodiversity and maximise carbon outcomes.

Surf Life Saving NSW will trial the use of specialised long-range drones which could greatly enhance coastal safety and improve how we respond to emergency situations or natural disasters.  With support from the NSW Government through the Department of Primary Industries, Surf Life Saving NSW currently provides the largest coastal uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance program in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hoorah! Rappville has a community bus ... The 2019 bushfires destroyed 23 properties; the pub was saved from flames twice. Residents had to rebuild, recover and find ways to move forward after the disaster. Dave and the other members of the Rappville Social Club had to decide how best to use the donations coming in from “all over Australia”.

‘Branching Out”, the latest report on the NSW native forestry by the Blueprint Institute, was released on 26 April and put into the media with the subeditorial line “Report outlines economic benefit of ending native forest logging’ ... The Report should be marked ‘draft’ given its deficiencies - and that is being generous.

The Andrews Government has announced the cessation of native forestry at the end of 2023, despite promises in 2019 to phase out native timber logging by 2030. The native timber industry represents a large segment of the state’s overall timber industry, creating 2,500 jobs and generating more than $770 million in revenue annually ... The Government will establish an advisory panel to consider and make recommendations on which forests to lock up as National Parks.

New service extends the reach and capability of resilient, secure communication. Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) has deployed SmartConnect, a new service from Motorola Solutions, to securely extend the coverage and capacity of its mission-critical radio communications.

The Victorian Government is stepping in to deliver certainty for timber workers, sawmill operators and their communities, with an expanded transition support package as part of the Victorian Budget 2023/24. This package removes the uncertainty that has been caused by ongoing court and litigation process and increasingly severe bushfires, with an additional $200 million in support for workers and their families to transition away from native timber logging earlier than planned – by 1 January 2024.

Words, pictures and voices bring to life the stories of the 2019-2020 bushfires ... The stories and photos have been turned into a book that was launched at the Roxy Gallery on Friday, May 19.

The four honour boards in the Rappville Hall that were destroyed in the 2019 bushfire have just been replaced with new and better versions ... Resident Roger Bailey was a driver of the project to restore the boards that hang on the shiny, white walls of the new hall.