Comments on: Not prepared for savage bushfire threat

By: Fiona Walsh

Fiona Walsh — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 21:14:26 +0000

A prescient article. A few weeks later there’s major fires devastating Tjoritje (West Macs) National Park, threatening homes in Mparntwe and burning on other parks, Crown lands and pastoral leases.
The article and report flag the importance of people with long term knowledge and skills. I think of Grant Allen, Coral Allen, Peter Latz, Paul Williams and others. Plus the hundreds of traditional owners before them skilled in burning for food production. When those people are gone without succession planning and equally skilled replacements we are more vulnerable.
I question one statement in the report – longer intervals between fire seasons. The rainfall data shows shortening intervals between large rain events. As buffel grass growth follows rain shorter fire intervals is questionable. And leads to problems if used to justify not retaining expertise.
I agree with the report and article land owners and lessees all need familiarity and training in protective burning, prevention of wildfire, fighting and management. I’d add cultural burning too.
So too should rural and urban land owners be vigilant about the increased likelihood of buffel grass fires. There will be more ahead.

By: Russell Guy

Russell Guy — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 04:21:47 +0000

@ Alex Nelson. This is what happens when anthropogenic changes are made to the environment, e.g., the so-called tree change influx of Ash Wednesday and more recently the south coast of NSW, due, some argue convincingly, the Lock it and Leave it policy inaugurated by the Greens over a twenty-year period when government commissioned reports were ignored to pacify the Green vote.
Ironically, a dam/lake could provide water for fire-fighting aircraft and a refuge for animals, if not humans in the event of a buffel fuelled wild fire enveloping the municipality of Alice Springs. The upshot is that buffel is more likely something to live with or perhaps manage, rather than eradicate, much like the other issues mentioned.
Micro-management of the alcohol and delinquency issues would create positive outcomes, much like back-burning, fire-farming around populated areas at risk.
Taming buffel grass is contested. A Buffel Summit, whereby stakeholders agree to a minimisation / management plan may fare better than resolving the other issues you mention in the petri dish of Centralia.

By: Evelyne Roullet

Evelyne Roullet — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 02:07:07 +0000

Alex, did not Nero played the fiddle when Rome was burning?(-)

By: Alex Nelson

Alex Nelson — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 12:52:06 +0000

To my mind it’s telling that no-one has seen fit to comment on this article.
The two major topics of discussion are alcohol, crime and juvenile delinquency on one hand and flood mitigation on the other.
Fair enough, but I consider these topics are distractions from a far greater danger looming for our region, namely the wildfire hazard posed by the buildup of drying grass fuel which I think has reached a level that poses an existential threat to the Centre.
There are two reasons for this; first, the extent of coverage of buffel grass over the landscape which continues to spread remorselessly like a smothering blanket in every direction from town.
With every passing year – and especially with each wet period – buffel grass is increasing at the expense of virtually all other vegetation, consequently the fuel load for uncontrollable wildfires is literally growing at an exponential rate.
The second factor to take into account is the increasing prevalence of severe weather events, courtesy of climate change.
The combination of these two broad factors poses a lethal wildfire threat that poses an extremely dangerous situation for virtually all of the Centre, especially focused on Alice Springs.
It’s 20 years ago since the wildfire that crashed into Canberra suburbs, and 40 years since the disastrous Ash Wednesday bushfires that afflicted Victoria and South Australia.
I cannot see why Alice Springs would not be equally at risk of such a wildfire disaster, let alone all the smaller communities in the district.
The bushfire referred to in the article that burnt out much of the West MacDonnell national park in early 2019 was noteworthy as it proved uncontrollable during conditions of extreme drought – I don’t recall a similar situation occurring here previously.
We’re now confronted with a massive accumulation of grass fuel on a landscape level after a triple La Niña period.
It appears to me the sheer scale of the danger is not apparent to many people. Most of us are blissfully unaware of just how dangerous the landscape of Central Australia has now become.