Advanced Burning Notification - Desert Reserves

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 16:49

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RDFB

During the two week period between May 8th 2006 to May 20th 2006 the Department of Conservation and Land Management will be conducting an aerial and ground burning program in the vicinity of Queen Victoria Springs Nature Reserve and Plumridge Lakes Nature Reserve.

Most of the burning will occur away from normal tourist tracks, but there may be some burning conducted along the main access routes to Queen Victoria Spring and the Plumridge Lakes Nature Reserve.

The autumn burning is part of research into manageable fire treatment of spinifex and to assist in creating small mosaics to stop the run of the larger, uncontrollable wildfires in the desert.

For further information contact the Goldfields CALM office on (08) 9021 2677.

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Reply By: Old Scalyback & denny - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 19:54

Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 19:54

i'll be a dill and ask
are these blokes as dangerous as the dse firelighters oops i mean firefighters in victoria where a small burn means half a national park or a means to shut down a 4b area because its now "unsafe"

steve

AnswerID: 160721

Reply By: Mr Fawlty - Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 22:20

Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006 at 22:20

I was of the opinion that spinifex loved a good fire to regenerate.... Am I wrong? I have been wrong before....

AnswerID: 160774

Follow Up By: RDFB - Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 11:17

Thursday, Mar 16, 2006 at 11:17

There is no doubt that spinifex likes a good fire.

But it is about making a decision between allowing 500,000ha to 1 million ha wildfires (it does happen!) to burn uncontrolled and quite likely cause local extinction of small animals and other plants, or introduce an annual system of creating small (up to 5,000ha) mosaics that provide different fuel levels across the desert that can assist in reducing the size of these massive fires or in same cases actually stopping them completely.
It is not about burning indiscriminately and lighting up all to be seen, but selecting specific areas that will have an effect on reducing the size of the wildfires. There is no way to stop wildfires, especially out there, but there is a way to reduce the area impacted.

There is also no intention whatsoever to close any of these reserves.

FollowupID: 415630