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Old 14-01-2013, 11:41 AM
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acropolite (Phil)
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Launceston Tasmania
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I'm with Chris on clearing and properly maintaining around dwellings etc. National Park or not Safety has to be the number one priority.

Regarding the constant burning of bush in Hazard Reduction Burns, there is some evidence to suggest that hazard reduction burns actually increase the fuel load, in areas where such burns aren't carried out the understory vegetation is much more sparse and fires less prevalent and of lower intensity. I heard a program on the ABC where they talked about vegetation counts on two adjacent properties, one of which had been burned regularly, the other had not been burned for decades, the understory count for the regularly burned property was from memory ten times more dense than the unburned property.

Repeated burning enriches the soul and rejuvinates and envigorates the understory vegetation, low intensity burns often leave vegetation "cured" i.e. dead but not burned, perfect fuel for the next bushfire.

It's also not unusual for hazard reduction burns to get out of control and be the problem rather than the cure.

Also the practice of burning for plantation regeneration masqueraded as hazard reduction is rife, particularly in my state, it's little wonder that people are averse to being smoked out.

I'm not necessarily saying that hazard reduction burns are a waste of time, but there needs to be some serious unbiassed science performed before knee jerk "set it on fire because it might catch fire" strategies are used.
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