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Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Open for Debate - Bushfires, Logging, Burns & Forest Management

The megafires of 2019/20 are still fresh in the Australian memory.  Of course it is not just Australia where fires have raged out of control and caused immeasurable damage. Forest and land management practices around the world are, I hope, under scrutiny so that the best practices to suit the circumstances of each can be put into place.

The debate on this page has opened up beyond the original question of any connection between bushfires and logging to include other elements that make up sustainable forest management in Australia.

The overarching question remains the same: How can Australian forests, as they are now, be best managed to achieve the best outcome with the least adverse consequences? What more can and should we do right now?

Those of you who have been following the commentary and articles collected here would suspect that there is no simple answer to this question and that there are deep divisions between commentators.

The impact of climate change, the impact of harvesting, the impact of fuel reduction burns and the nature and extent of FRBs appear to be key factors.

Surely though, these are not mutually exclusive and it’s not that much of a stretch to acknowledge that they all may have an effect on forest management and bushfire risk?  Perhaps the ongoing debate will get down to the details of where the balance lies.

The debate over forest management and bushfire mitigation and protection is now feeding into a debate over property, work, land use and the future of rural and regional Australia itself.

As before, if you have expert experience or knowledge in this field, your input – as balanced and unemotional as possible, preferably debating the points and not the people – is invited. If you know someone who should contribute to this debate, let them, or me, know. TheEditor@ARR.News

While the length of a submission is not an issue, it would be helpful for ARR.News readers if commentators could give a clear summary of their main points at the outset.

Event

Event

Healthy and resilient forests for our future

A cross-section of the nation’s leading minds have converged in Ballarat, to discuss the goal of creating a healthy and resilient future for Australia’s forests and share knowledge and ideas to ensure forests can provide a wide range of benefits for generations to come. Approximately 300 scientists, researchers, forestry professionals and foresters will gather at Forestry Australia’s National Symposium…

Carbon

Carbon

Carbon methods for native forests must be ‘nature positive’: Forestry Australia

Forestry Australia is calling on the Australian Government to ensure that new ACCU Scheme carbon methods developed for managing native forests are truly ‘nature positive’ ... “The proposed method, Enhancing Native Forest Resilience, is focussed on improving the health and resilience of native forests and encouraging active, adaptive management of native forests across all land tenures to assist Australia in meeting its Paris Agreement targets": Dr Bill Jackson.

Illegal logging

Screenshot

Trial investigates ways to verify timber species and harvest origins: DAFF

Contributor, ARR.News
Federal politics
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has completed a timber testing trial investigating the best ways to implement technologies verifying claims of species and harvest origin of regulated timber and timber products ... Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Matt Lowe said globally, it has been estimated that about 15-30 per cent of all wood traded is a product of illegal logging and illicit wood.

Cultural burning

Council

Culture returning health to Country

Yorke Peninsula Country Times -
Rachel Hagan. After about a 200-year hiatus, the Narungga Nation cultural burning practices have returned to Guuranda (Yorke Peninsula) to help bring back balance to a landscape traditionally shaped by fire. Throughout the year, a series of workshops have brought the burning practice back to Country at Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, Ardrossan grasslands and Minlagawi nature reserve.

Firefighting

Fire

Old practices rekindled in new firefighting partnership: Forestry Corporation of NSW

Contributor, ARR.News -
The Western Bundjalung community’s Ngullingah Jugun Aboriginal Corporation is working with Forestry Corporation to bring together knowledge of cultural burning with government bushfire management. A fire training course has been held in Jubullum Village, near Tabulam … the fire training will improve both the community and government response to wildfires.

Sustainable forestry

Forestry

Are WA forests being managed sustainably? Gavin Butcher

Gavin Butcher. Forest sustainability has taken on different meanings in Western Australia – changing depending on the audience. In one corner the Minister for Forestry, Jackie Jarvis, has repeatedly claimed the closure of the native forest industry was necessary because it was unsustainable. In the other corner is Stuart West, the General Manager of the Minister’s agency, the Forest Products Commission, overseeing harvesting operations in the jarrah and karri forests which have been independently certified as being sustainable.

Active management

Education & training

Forestry Australia welcomes further definition of active forest management

Acting President of Forestry Australia Dr Bill Jackson says the paper answers questions around active management - and how it relates to forest management - by stating that active management is principally about human engagement in shaping forests and is deliberate tending of forests by humans for diverse purposes and goals relating to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and function including resilience.

Forest management - Vic

Fire

No bushfire expert on panel

Philip Hopkins -
The Howitt Society has condemned the state government for not including bushfire expertise on the panel that is investigating the future of Gippsland's native forest ... The Howitt Society's bushfire fears come as a cross-section of bush users, miners and prospectors are rebelling against the possibility that several hundred thousand extra hectares of forest could be included in a Great Forest National Park.

Cultural burning

Fire

Aboriginal rangers share rich cultural heritage in the ruggedly beautiful Pilbara

When a group of Midwest Traditional Owners visited the Pilbara recently they gained a whole lot more than a training experience. The Yamatji, Jidi Jidi and Nanda groups from the Midwest were hosted by the Yindjibarndi group at Millstream Chichester National Park, south of Karratha.

Native forestry

Forestry

Native forest policy, WA style: Jack Bradshaw

Jack Bradshaw. Having killed off the native forest timber industry by edict, the WA government is now taking the next step to cement its hypocrisy in legislation. Reece Whitby, the Minister for the Environment has recently introduced an amendment to the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) to “lock in this Labor government’s historic decision to stop the unsustainable practice of commercial native logging”.

Research

Fire

Town and city bushfire disaster review, case studies and lessons across Australia: John O’Donnell

In this review, John O'Donnell explores 19 town and city bushfire disasters, ranging from bushfire impacts of the early settlements in the 1851 Victorian bushfires to bushfires in 2021, a period covering 170 years. Readers can assess bushfire preparation in relation to their own and other towns and cities and consider if bushfire preparation is well managed, has improved after earlier bushfires and if it has improved since the 2019/ 20 bushfires.

GKNP - NSW

Federal politics

NSW Koala Strategy – Extinguish native forestry

Vic Jurskis -
The government’s own research on the north coast has confirmed that forestry does not affect koala numbers ... New data from field surveys of 1000 sites, trumpeted by the incoming Environment Minister and commenced a year ago, will not be released in time to stimulate or inform public submissions on the Koala Strategy ... The result is preordained.

Jarrah forest

Climate

Reports of a catastrophe in the jarrah forest have been greatly exaggerated (after Mark Twain): Frank Batini

Frank Batini. I have observed patterns of foliage scorch, some tree deaths and then recovery in the northern jarrah forest for 22 years. These can be readily explained in terms of soil depth, water-holding capacity, winter rainfall and summer drought ... My hypothesis is that this forest has repeatedly shown resilience to drought ... This is the “good news”, as opposed to the alarmism of other commentators.

Review

Book Review

The Forest Wars – review and response

Mark Poynter, a fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia (now Forestry Australia) reviews The Forest Wars. The author, Professor David Lindenmayer, responds ... "The Forest Wars purports to portray the ‘ugly truth’ about what happens in wood production forests": Poynter ... "As I point out in the book there are some key problems with the industry": Lindenmayer.

Response

Forest Wars – What lies beneath?: Peter Rutherford

Peter Rutherford. After reading Mark Poynter’s brief critique of The Forest Wars and the David Lindenmayer response, a few points seemed to need further exploration ... Many SETA members and others working in the forest industry have been curious as to what appear to be strong connections that Mr Lindenmayer has with a number of media reporters, who regularly report his opinions on native forest issues.

Forests

Forestry

Will the dominos fall across the country after Victoria and Western Australia ended the harvesting of native forests? : Robert Onfray

When I started as a young forester in the late 1980s, I yearned for the opportunity to work in our native forests. While assessing a coupe to plan for a tree harvesting operation, I knew I was inheriting a forest structure that benefited from silvicultural practices adopted by foresters a few generations before me. Foresters aim to make the forest more productive by applying scientific principles to aid in the regeneration of the next crop of trees and to encourage the best growth of the retained trees. My responsibility was to continue that tradition for foresters a few generations ahead of me.

Protest - WA

Biodiversity

Protestors gather to save the tingles

Denmark Bulletin -
About 150 people gathered at Nornalup on March 23 to protest about the State Government’s plan to burn 80ha of nearby mostly-unlogged tingle forest. Nornalup community members are angry about the planned burn which environmentalists say is counter-productive to fire mitigation and destructive to the environment.

Litigation

Federal politics

Forestry Australia welcomes Strathbogie decision

Forestry Australia has welcomed the decision by the Federal Court to allow planned prescribed burns in the Strathbogie Forest ... Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman said prescribed burning recognises Australia’s fire-dependent ecosystems, and fire-adapted flora and fauna that have evolved through the long tradition of indigenous caring for Country.

Debate

Climate

Forests, fires and burns – still no consensus

The Editor -
Is this really how harvested forests are left? Australian Rural & Regional News looks into recent statements that highlight continuing conflicting and confusing information in the public domain about connections between forestry operations and bushfires and whether prescribed burns reduce bushfire risk.

Western Australia

Fire

Dwellingup revisted: Frank Batini

The weekend of 4/5 November 2023 was eerily similar to my experiences as a 20 year old fire-fighter at the disastrous 1961 Dwellingup fire, which burnt 200000 hectares of forest and destroyed several towns ... Multiple lightning strikes, dry, heavy fuels and strong winds eventually overwhelmed all fire-fighting efforts.

History

Farming

Making a life on the ‘continent of smoke’

Denmark Bulletin -
Ian Osborne. As summer comes around again, our thoughts turn to the threat of bushfires. Every foreign navigator who sailed the coast of Australia, from William Dampier and Abel Tasman to Captain Cook, and later those carrying the immigrants who would settle the new south land had noted the prevalence of fire along the continent’s edge .. It was, Cook said, 'the Continent of Smoke'.

Firefighting

Fire

Inadequate firefighter safety in south east Australian forests: John O’Donnell

John O'Donnell believes that many of the forested fire grounds across south eastern Australia are way too dangerous to fight bushfires and for firefighter safety and that, as a society, we have learnt very little following 2019/20 bushfires and bushfires before that, especially in regards to bushfire mitigation and safety. John has identified 21 main areas of concern in relation to bushfire firefighter safety in forested areas.

Fuel management- NSW

Fire

Opportunities to improve fuel management across NSW: John O’Donnell

John O'Donnell. The NSW Rural Fire Service 2022/2023 Annual Report shows that, areas of annual hazard reduction burning and mechanical reduction in NSW are both at very low rates and vary by year ... Considering the extent of chronic eucalypt decline and thick understories in many NSW forests, strategies and actions to address these major issues across NSW landscapes and reduce intense bushfire risks are opportune but overdue, using low intensity maintenance burning and mechanical treatment of forests.

Victoria

Letter to the Editor – Bushfire management should focus on fuel reduction: McArthur

In my adjournment matter, I encouraged the Minister for Emergency Services to delve more deeply into Dr Tolhurst’s life’s work and consider his recommendation that bushfire management should have a greater focus on fuel load reduction. Dr Tolhurst repeatedly pointed out the folly in prioritising expensive and difficult suppression of fire, instead of fuel load management ... He powerfully argued against an influential Climate Council factsheet, which had concluded “no amount of hazard reduction will protect human lives, animals and properties from catastrophic fires” – pointing out that analysing the extent of burned areas, rather than the severity of the fire, is misleading.

Queensland

Climate

Katters call out Queensland on bushfire culpability: Katter

“At the same time we have seen these shocking declines in volunteer numbers, without any genuine attempt to stem the flow, Labor governments have embarked on a land lock-up spree that has seen National Park size in Queensland increase from around 6.6 million ha in 2002 to more than 7 million ha in 2022 ... Then we have the Prime Minister running around the country saying he will protect 30 per cent of lands, meanwhile what is currently under lock and key are poorly-managed, ecological wastelands that raise the nation’s bushfire risk": Traeger MP Robbie Katter.

Climate

Climate

Climate change drives huge rise in fire risk

Patricia Gill. Climate change has driven the occurrence of extreme fire risk days in Denmark from two in 1930 to 150 expected by 2030. The occurrence of days has risen incrementally in more recent years from 50 extreme risk days in 2019 driven by the warming climate and earlier summer conditions. Also indications are that Denmark is two months ahead of ‘normal’ weather conditions with silage and hay being cut in paddocks in October and the beginning of November rather than in December.

Research

Fire

New research confirms value of fuel reduction burning in karri forest: Bushfire Front

Peer-reviewed research published in the Australian Forestry journal has confirmed something that forest firefighters have long known: if forests are left unburned for many years, they still carry heavy bushfire fuels, making firefighting difficult and dangerous. The new research demolishes the theory that if forests are left unburnt, they become non-flammable ... the scientists measured and analysed fuels in karri forests that ranged from 1 to 92 years since last being burned.

Bushfire preparedness

Federal politics

Zero state action

Philip Hopkins -
The Victorian government has not replied to the RFA Major Event Review 18 months after it was submitted despite its 37 recommendations on forest management after the devastating 2019-20 bushfires ... Dr Tony Bartlett AFSM, as a science adviser to Forestry Australia, took the fight to the National Bushfire Preparedness Summit in Canberra last week.
Federal politics

Australia’s preparation for major bushfires: John O’Donnell

It is the author’s belief that Australia is not adequately prepared for upcoming bushfires.  To be frank, we as a society have learnt very little following 2019/20, especially in regards to bushfire mitigation. Communities, firefighters and the ecosystems are highly exposed over the coming El Nino period and a lot of bushfire skills have been lost.  Disaster and insurance costs are going up every year and will continue to go up with current adapted approaches.

Indigneous

Federal politics

Review finds Indigenous groups want more involvement

Philip Hopkins -
Timber harvesting was not a concern of Gippsland Indigenous groups, who overwhelmingly want to be involved in direct management of forests before, during and after bushfires, the RFA Major Event Review of the 2019-20 bushfires found ... “Traditional Owners seek to be managing fire directly, with their own crews and equipment. They see themselves as fire givers, not firefighters.”

Public meeting - East Gippsland

Community

Are Mallacoota and East Gippsland prepared for another major fire? The Howitt Society

The Howitt Society are concerned at the lack of broadscale fuel management operations in East Gippsland over the past four years post the 2019/20 fires ... A public meeting has been convened at Mallacoota to discuss the issue of the long term protection of the townships and the forests of East Gippsland.

Burning - WA

EPA calls for burning enquiry

Denmark Bulletin -
The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended an independent scientific enquiry into prescribed burning practices in WA, particularly in the context of climate change. EPA chair Professor Matthew Tonts said an independent review under the 1986 EPA Act would call on the expertise of independent scientists to consider prescribed burning approaches and implementation. This follows Fire and Air Forum: Biodiversity, Environmental Sustainability and Human Health at WA University in May.
Fire

Fire management in WA: The Bushfire Front responds to EPA Report 1745

Claims that prescribed burning will not assist with wildfire control are spurious. ... The EPA report on their review of the FMP failed to mention that a West Australian Parliamentary Committee, after hearing multiple evidence, recently concluded that an additional review of prescribed burning practices by Government was NOT warranted. This is a blatant and serious omission.

Workshop - NSW

Council

Pilot cultural burn in Gibbergunyah Reserve

Wingecarribee’s Aboriginal community had an exciting opportunity to take part in a cultural burn within Gibbergunyah Reserve last weekend. The burn was conducted by Gundungurra Traditional Owners and our First Nations community in partnership with Yarrabin Cultural Connections Fire Practitioner Den Barber and his team, also supported by the NSW RFS and Wingecarribee Shire Council.

Wattle

Biodiversity

Wattle Day: Robert Onfray

Today is the first day of spring in Australia, a day we celebrate as national Wattle Day ... we use today to celebrate a wonderful species that is, with a few exceptions, unique to our landscape. But to professional foresters, a recognition of wattles only reminds us of the deleterious effects of changed land management practices after millions of hectares of actively managed state forests have been converted to reserves since the 1990s. The effects have been compounded by massive wildfires that have occurred over that time.

Forest management

Forestry

How to stifle active forest management – the Wungong catchment trial in Western Australia: Frank Batini

Frank Batini has set down the history of the Wungong catchment trial in order to provide a record that shows how difficult it is to implement any active forest management in the northern jarrah forest. This account may be of interest to forest managers in other parts of Australia.

Forester Frank, science and French folly: David Jefford Ward

Although my qualifications lie in other fields, I know Frank Batini as a modest, well mannered, well qualified, and experienced forester. His recent article about his past work on water supply from Wungong Dam, near Perth, has raised concerns with me about the management of water supplies in Western Australia ... Instead of following scientific advice, they seem to have switched their beliefs to the thinking of other kinds of experts, without any qualifications in forestry, fire, or hydrology, but expertly politically aware and active.

Management - NT

Fire

Fire: Bombers, buffel and planned burning

Erwin Chlanda, Alice Springs News -
Water bombing, which is on stand-by around the clock in the Adelaide Hills during summer, “could have a role” in protecting Alice suburbs. Planned burning should be extended in The Centre’s national parks. And controlling buffel is critical for reducing the risk of fire around Alice Springs. That’s the view of Dr Rohan Fisher, CDU’s Northern Institute fire researcher. Instead what Alice Springs had over the weekend was a planned burn that got out of hand, started possibly at the wrong time, causing an inferno that destroyed 25,000 hectares, in and near the West MacDonnells National Park, and threatening the edge of the town.

Harvest Code

Agriculture

Backflip on Grain Harvest Code a huge win for farmers: Pederick, Centofanti

Following several weeks of uncertainty for South Australian farmers, the CFS has announced that the Grain Harvest Code of Practice will remain unchanged for the 2023-24 harvest season. Shadow Minister for Emergency Services Adrian Pederick declared the move as “a big win for our farmers and grain producers” who can continue using the current Grass Fire Danger Index (GFDI)...