The area of Australia affected by bushfires in 2019--20 was the smallest of any time since 1900.

How do we know that "John O'Donnell is an expert in forest fires."?

How do we know that "John O'Donnell is an expert in forest fires."?
ttbn,
Judging by the outcomes of recent, the real experts have been side-lined by the indoctrinated educated hence the outcomes !

Indyvidual

Agree. I find it unacceptable that a person can call himself an 'expert' and expect to be believed. But, as Graham said recently, the articles in this section are opinions, not holy writ.

If proscribed burning was the only viable fuel reduction management system, this single solution advocacy might have some merit. First of all, controlled burns sometimes get of control to become raging uncontrolled burns. Moreover, every time the countryside is burned even in so-called cool burns, some rare and valuable trace elements are sent skyward to never ever be replaced.

What the firebug advocates never continence is, fuel reduction with herd animals, the best being herded goats. Goat grazing is not limited to smaller and smaller seasonal windows! But year round! The only exception being, on flooded ground. Fires don't do well then and there either!

Also, herded goats can be deployed behind portable electric fences that allow the fuel reduction outcome to be intense and complete as the hooves chop up and open the topsoil. Add in dung beetles that then also incorporate organic goat manure into now more friable moisture absorbing topsoil and we have a regenerative topsoil management paradigm and increased production of native species.

Economic reform? Hardly, when what's really required is a whole new mindset finally freed of cultural humbug. If management teaches just one thing, it teaches, there's always a better way!

The brainwashed will always object to change away from "cultural" norms! Regardless of demonstrable and massive improvement!
Alan B.

ttbn,
In our region people asked for cold burning back in early July when the conditions were ideal.
The local Fire Brigade was overruled & had to get permission from some Dill in LG who then bureaucrated (sorry, don't know the proper term) for so long that when they actually sent a Fire brigade from 300 km away to do the job, the winds had come up again & after waiting for seven days they returned home again. The next week the conditions for burning were good again yet still the morons in Brisbane disallowed the local brigade to do the burning. Now, we have a highly volatile fire danger yet again !
All the costs for the outside brigade on travel allowances etc. would probably have bought us another truck !
That is the kind of idiocy we get from our high salary bureaudroids !

To the people who doubt whether the author is an expert or not, if you're a forester responsible for managing a large tract of native vegetation, then fire is one of the most important and potentially devastating threats that you have to be expert in managing. So yes, he's an expert in fire issues.