It might seem odd to be talking about bushfires in the middle of winter, but summer will soon be upon us. Last year was one of the hottest on record, but it was also wet at times, which means that fuel loads increased significantly. There is much to be done if we’re to survive another fire season relatively unscathed.
The so-called ‘forestry wars’ may be over, but the consequences continue to play out across the state.
Despite what some would have you believe, this island is covered in forests which, without proper management, are a disaster waiting to happen. Forestry Tasmania, Gunns and forest contractors were in many cases our first line of defence, and they must share some of the credit for our good record over the past four decades. With less people and less equipment available to assist in this task, there is inevitably increased risk. We saw that in the Dunalley fires on a small scale, even though these were not really in forested areas: volunteer brigades were stressed, there were manpower shortages and equipment shortages.
If the potential fuel for fires is not actively monitored and reduced, if roads and bridges are not kept open to assist in fire fighting; we face a looming disaster – especially with forecasts for another drier than average summer ahead.
Where will the resources come from without the work FT, Gunns and forestry contractors have always done in the past on the ground as unfunded – and largely unrecognised – community service? You cannot expect to remove the on-ground people who deal with these issues every day without a significant impact.
These issues were sidelined in the debate over the future of our forests, yet will have far-reaching and fundamental impacts on all Tasmanians.
Hardest hit will be our farmers who live in some of the most fire-prone parts of the state. Their families, homes and livelihoods are at significant risk in bushfire season.
Many farmers are active in volunteer bushfire brigades. They give up their time and put their lives on the line every summer to protect their communities. The heightened risks resulting from decreased investment in on-ground resourcing from forest managers are causing them serious concern.
A 2012 report commissioned by the Australian Workers’ Union contains some sobering thoughts. I quote: “The 2009 Victorian bushfires highlighted how the accumulation of fuel, resulting from passive management, reduced prescribed burning (often related to smoke management concerns), and conservation philosophies combined with increased urbanisation to result an intensification of fire extent and severity.”
The Victorian Royal Commission report into the 2009 bushfires recommended prescribed burning annually of a minimum 5% of public land; reporting, data collection and modelling with respect to targets, area burnt, funds expended and impacts on biodiversity; and development of a Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land.
The situation in Tasmania is – if anything – even worse. The 2013 Hyde review identified approximately 2.57 million hectares of in Tasmania on which fuel reduction burning could reasonably be under taken. Of this, 0.86m ha are in reserves managed by PWS, 0.6m ha are in state forest or unallocated Crown lands, and the balance (1.1m ha) are on privately owned and other lands.
So what is happening here to address these recommendations?
The state government has committed $28.5 million to allow fuel reduction burning of treatable public land in Tasmania to be increased to 60,000 hectares per year. They have said they will replace the current fragmented approach to fuel reduction which is split between Parks, Forestry Tasmania and the Tasmanian Fire Service, with a new specialist Fuel Reduction Unit, to be located within the Parks department.
We welcome initiatives that will allow for increased fuel reduction burning on private land. They have outlined a “fuel reduction first” policy that will reverse the onus of proof when it comes to environmental impacts, and require it to be proven that a fuel reduction burn will have an adverse environmental impact for a permit to be denied.
However, these initiatives will only deliver results if there are adequate resources and funding to changing the culture within government, the bureaucracy and the wider community, to understand the importance of fuel reduction burning in protecting Tasmanians and also our environment.
In its first 100 days report, the government said it has received a comprehensive report from State Fire Management Council on implementing its program. That’s a good start – but we need to move more quickly. We need to know what is in the report; and the government needs to get moving on whatever recommendations have been made. The targeted fuel reduction burns have to be strategic and effective, in high priority areas and not “easy” areas picked to ensure the 60,000 ha target is ticked off.
No-one wants to be sitting here after a bushfire disaster saying ‘I told you so’.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis
