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The Forum > Article Comments > Global warming. What effect might it have upon bushfires? > Comments

Global warming. What effect might it have upon bushfires? : Comments

By John Cribbes, published 24/10/2007

Unless Victorian forests are subjected to more efficient bushfire preparedness, Global Warming will result in large uncontrollable fires.

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I believe the eucalytus forests the length of the Great Dividing Range, not only Victoria, need to be thinned. My people have lived in country Australi since early days of settlement and have seen the grass country change to eucalyptus forest. One of the un-mentioned reasons was the introduction of the European honey bee which was much better at polinating the eucalyptus. Now these trees are dominating National Parks originally set up to preserve Australian wildflowers specifically polinated by native bees. The introduced feral bee also competes for hive space in mature trees, robbing native bees, birds and possums of home sites in hollow limbs. Meanwhile the result, a thicket type forest of spindly eucalyptus trees is creating the potential for worse bush fires every year.
Posted by Country girl, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 12:33:06 PM
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cg, i believe you can pickup the phone and get a japanese woodchipping mill on a plane within 24 hours. there's probably a finders fee in it for you as well. since the alternative is putting the nation on bicycles and motor scooters which won't happen soon, you may as well have the money.
Posted by DEMOS, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 1:29:25 PM
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Demos says (in a round about way):
"We must not violate the tree spirits or disturb the fairies or Gaia will rain down fire, drought, flood, pestilence, ...etc etc...see the full list here http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.ht
Posted by alzo, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 2:11:49 PM
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I think that the California fires prove the point yet once again.

Forget global warming. If you land up with forests which have
huge fuel loads on the ground, accumulated over many years,
one hot windy day, the whole lot is likely to go up in smoke.

As they say, people need pain to learn.
Posted by Yabby, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 2:57:32 PM
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All Cribbes arguments re bushfire frequency and intensity can be applied to any rural or urban crops as drought extends. Fine dry fuel and wind are an explosive mix on ignition anywhere on a bad day.

The Victorian forests are no exception either managed or unmanaged. Young tree crops will go up in smoke in a flash given enough draft. Dwellings on near bare property when directly in the path of a furious fire storm can be likewise consumed.

The fire front of a swiftly moving bushfire must be seen as a continuous gaseous combustion cloud. Grasslands and rangeland scrub not forests provide the highest conversion rates and ground speed in strong winds.

Without extensive hazard reduction entire urban edge communities are at risk with global warming. No governments are yet up to the task of risk management in drought stricken bush.
Posted by Taz, Wednesday, 24 October 2007 8:51:50 PM
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Hey John,

Show me the science mate because assumptions may just as easily go the other way. Less rainfall - less fuel - less severity of fires? Or changed weather patterns means less likelyhood of Ash Wednesday blow throughs. Certainly the 2-3 day summer westerly howlers are almost non existant in these parts now.

Comparing Victoria with California is problimatic as well. For the same amount of acerage in comparison to Victoria last year California had lost 1200 homes as opposed to one house lost in Victoria last year.

California doesn't conduct fuel reduction or ecological burns anywhere near the extent as those done in Victoria.

Also there is a different attitude here as people who build adjacent to state and national forests often realise that to gain the ambience of nestling within treed blocks means they should not insist firefighters risk their lives in protecting their dwelling if it was threatened.

I think the agencies in Australia require our support and funding. Their skills and attitudes are evolving even with the added complexity of climate change. The less political interference involved the better.
Posted by csteele, Saturday, 27 October 2007 7:37:26 PM
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