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Prescribed Burning To Commence In Gippsland

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is preparing to commence the annual prescribed burning program in State forests and National Parks across Gippsland.

By Department of Sustainability & Environment - 17th February 2005 - Back to News

Recent rainfalls and the current mild weather mean conditions are becoming suitable for these specialised burning operations.

Prescribed burns fall in to three categories: fuel reduction burns, regeneration burns and ecological burns.

Fuel reduction burns assist in making bushfires easier to control during the hotter months and to protect neighbouring properties around National Parks and State Forests. The use of local knowledge is important when undertaking these burning operations, so DSE welcomes assistance and support from local CFA brigades across the region.

Regeneration burning is undertaken by VicForests as an important part of the commercial forest management cycle. For a number of forest types in Victoria, fire is the best option for helping to ensure new forests are successfully established after timber harvesting. Burning not only provides an ideal seed bed for germination, but it also helps the regenerating forest to maximise access to nutrients and water.

Ecological burns are carried out to protect and promote populations of threatened species of native flora and fauna, such as the New Holland Mouse and some rare species of orchid. These species are adapted to and respond to fire.

Prescribed burns are predominantly carried out in autumn when weather conditions are mild. The day of the burn needs to be warm enough to burn, but avoiding humid conditions that could hamper efforts to burn. Windy conditions and days when it is too hot and dry are also avoided.

Regional Fire Manager, David Tainsh said that there would be approximately 350 prescribed burns to complete across Gippsland this autumn.

"Each of the sites scheduled for burning has been prepared with fire breaks and access tracks and specially trained crews are allocated to each burn," he said.

"In the conduct of the burns, DSE works in close partnership with the CFA, Parks Victoria, Vic Forests and Department of Primary Industries staff."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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