I hope your conflation of "green" groups with the Greens as a political party is not a deliberate slur. The Greens are not in government in the areas affected. The reaction of Liberals and ALP to a threat losing votes to the Greens is to implement fake "green" policies that are not scientifically based. The science of bush fire prevention and management is extremely complex and no one single lobby group can claim to have the wisdom and breadth of understanding to come up with a comprehensive policy.

Rather than assigning blame, why do we not push for true multi-discipline approach by an independent research body such as the CSIRO that can look at all factors, including building design, defence and escape strategies, fire shelters, the effect of exotic invader fire-adapted vegetation, forestry practice and best practice in preventive burning?

It is not correct to ascribe the Victorian fires to climate change, and I am not aware of anyone who understands the science who has done so. However, an increased trend towards extended droughts and heat waves can be expected, based on the best science available, so we really do need to get out act together to prevent or at least mitigate future disasters.

I am running for Greens in the Qld state election so no doubt the author will consider me hostile. But I would genuinely welcome a broad-scale approach to the problem and an end to assigning blame without offering solutions.

'However, an increased trend towards extended droughts and heat waves can be expected, based on the best science available,'

The 'best science' is crap. Just ask the scientist (BOM) who predicted a dryer than average summer in North Queensland. When computer models can get it right one week in advance then we might be able take the best science a little seriously. The Greens are nothing short of disgraceful in denial as usual as to their role in black Saturday. How convenient to blame it on climate change . What an insult to true scientist.

Philip, I would refer you to
http://www.abc.net.au/blackfriday/aftermath/dpackham.htm

The CSIRO have been researching the effects of forest fires for many years and most foresters seem to agree that they have got a pretty good handle on what constitutes effective management of our forests. Hopefully, some common sense will prevail as a result of the Black Saturday carnage. If a fire had started on the north side of the Dandenongs, what happened in Marysville and Kinglake would have seemed like chicken feed. We await next summer with trepidation.

Mark Poynter is also very well qualified to make the comments in the article, having had 30 years of experience to back it up.

David

I too hope that local Governments are forced to rethink their position on removal of "native vegetation" in order to place a fire break around homes built in bushland and designated "firestorm" areas.

Recently, I rang my shire to ask about cutting down a swath of trees around my home which is in a designated firestorm area and was told that I was not allowed to cut down a single tree without a planning permit which in all likelihood would not be granted since I wasn't taking out the trees in order to build anything. I was further told I am not even allowed to cut up deadfall.

I've written to local politicians and my letters have been handed on to appropriate authorities. I'm hoping that out of the terrible tragedy of 'Black Saturday' comes some common sense.

By the way Runner, you call yourself a Christian, yet you tend to use very hostile language of late and the use of the word "crap" during much of your vile diatribe, I find most offensive.
Aime.

Aime, just do it. If you wait for the bureaucrats to give you a permit, Hell will have frozen over. Just make sure that nothing falls on your house. Plant a nice evergreen hedge around it all, they make good fire retardant breaks if you keep them tidy.

David

Blaming sustainable forest management for global warming is nonsense and shows how extreme self labelled ‘green’ groups have become.

In 2007 for its Fourth Assessment Report the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said of Forestry in relation to reducing climate change said:

“In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit”

Forestry is saving and storing emissions of greenhouse gas as it renews the forest after harvest with carbon stored in the living wood and our timber products. This is not to be confused with deforestation, where the forests are cleared and the land converted to other uses, such as agriculture, infrastructure or cities.

Mark is also correct that ‘greens’ are looking to deflect the blame, by targeting climate change as contributing to the fires. This ignores the fact that Victoria has had a long record of bushfires recorded as early as 1850, and well before the recent increase in global temperature.

Such blame shifting was tried Channel 7 Sunday Night Program on, see http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/video/-/page/5 click on “Questioning the Victorian bushfire disaster” in the video archive.

The audience was not impressed when Gavan McFadzean, the Wilderness Society Victoria’s campaigns manager, tried to dismiss the need for fuel reduction. His credibility was questioned and found wanting.

One victim was so angry by the smooth response from this spin doctor, that he felt compelled to leave the studio rather than listen to “c**p”.

Let’s hope in the future politics is excluded from bushfire management