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Frank Batini
Challenging established “truths” about the effects of climate change on the jarrah forest: Frank Batini
A wildfire burning over five days would do more damage to vegetation and biodiversity in the northern jarrah forest than five decades of climate change has done ..."This forest has survived for some four to five million years. I am confident it can survive for a few decades longer. We humans must recognise that the ecosystem is never static, and be able to live with and accept some level of change": Frank Batini, professional forester and environmental consultant.
Is it climate change or just a natural ecological cycle?: Frank Batini
Frank Batini. In summer 2011, following a very dry winter there was limited but noticeable tree crown scorch and some deaths of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) on sites with shallow soil. This event was repeated in summer 2024. On both of these occasions the forest growing on deeper soils was healthy. Academic and media comment immediately linked these deaths to human induced climate change ... ARR.News asked some further questions of Frank.
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.
Forests, fires and burns – still no consensus
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Big miner stings taxpayers – the impact of bauxite mining on water yield: Frank Batini
Frank Batini. Probably the world’s largest mine, in terms of area, is Alcoa’s bauxite mine, located in the northern jarrah forest, within a biologically rich area, close to the State’s capital city (Perth) and on its domestic water supply catchments ... In 2007, Alcoa reported that the loss in water yield from five monitored catchments, where mining had occurred on part of the landscape, was 40-50 mmpa greater than in the un-mined forest. In the intervening 16 years the trees have grown and would now be using much more water.
Modelling climate change: Batini and Freeman
Frank Batini and Michael Freeman. We are convinced that the reports of rainfall change in the southwest region of Western Australia being linked to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not correct. We believe this despite all the media reports, climate change modelling, Government documents and peer-reviewed research papers from Universities that say the opposite. We feel very lonely ... ARR.News asked some further questions of Frank and Michael.
