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Inquiry Into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria

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Inquiry Into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON BUSHFIRES IN VICTORIA OF PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES INTO THE IMPACT INQUIRY ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON BUSHFIRES IN VICTORIA JUNE 2008 FINAL REPORT JUNE 2008 FINAL REPORT ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE VIC 3002 T 8682 2803 F 8682 2818 www.parliament.vic.gov.au/enrc Environment and Natural Resources Committee Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria June 2008 Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria Report of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on the Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria ORDERED TO BE PRINTED Victorian Government Printer 2008 Parliamentary Paper No. 116 Session 2006-2008 i Parliament of Victoria Environment and Natural Resources Committee Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria ISBN 978-0-9757811-3-5 This report is printed on 100% recycled paper. Table of Contents Committee Members .......................................................................................... vii The Environment and Natural Resources Committee ...................................... ix Terms of Reference ............................................................................................. xi Chair’s Foreword ........................................................................... xiii Executive Summary ........................................................................xv Table of Recommendations............................................................................ xxiii Table of Findings............................................................................................ xxvii Definitions and Acronyms .............................................................................. xxxi Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................... 1 Background to the Inquiry ................................................................................... 1 Inquiry Process....................................................................................................... 2 Bushfire in Australia............................................................................................. 3 Evolution of the Australian Biota through Fire......................................................... 3 Aboriginal Use of Fire .......................................................................................... 6 Historical and Scientific Evidence of pre-European Fire......................................... 7 Extent and Use of Fire............................................................................................ 9 European Arrival and Use of Fire ......................................................................... 10 Stakeholder Evidence........................................................................................... 11 Conclusion............................................................................................................ 13 Bushfire in Victoria............................................................................................. 14 Significant Victorian Bushfires .............................................................................. 16 Causes of Fire on Public Land.............................................................................. 22 Recent Bushfire Inquiries...................................................................................... 23 Inquiry Report ..................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Prescribed Burning in Victoria ..................................... 27 Introduction......................................................................................................... 27 Overview of prescribed burning ............................................................................ 28 The history of fuel reduction burning..................................................................... 29 Prescribed burning on public land ........................................................................ 29 Burning on private land......................................................................................... 31 Legislative and regulatory arrangements for prescribed burning ................. 32 Legislation and the Code of Practice................................................................ 32 iii Inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria Discussion ............................................................................................................ 37 Delegations and reporting responsibilities ...................................................... 38 Theoretical foundations ..................................................................................... 50 Planning and conducting the burn......................................................................... 69 The reporting process for prescribed burning................................................. 73 The effectiveness of fuel reduction burning..................................................... 79 The influence of fuel management zones......................................................... 81 Measuring the effectiveness of fuel reduction and ecological burning .................. 83 Environmental factors ........................................................................................ 84 Water quality and quantity ................................................................................. 86 The extent of prescribed burning on public land............................................. 90 The historical extent of prescribed burning ..................................................... 90 The current extent of prescribed burning......................................................... 91 The required extent of prescribed burning....................................................... 91 Prescribed burning in Western Australia............................................................... 92 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 93 Targets and constraints ..................................................................................... 95 Introduction......................................................................................................... 95 Performance against targets.............................................................................. 96 Constraints.......................................................................................................... 99 Weather and climate........................................................................................... 100 Funding and personnel ....................................................................................... 101 The risk of escaped burns................................................................................... 110 Smoke................................................................................................................. 112 Forestry and regeneration burning...................................................................... 114 Alternatives to prescribed burning ................................................................. 116 Chapter 3: Biodiversity and Flood ................................................ 117 Introduction....................................................................................................... 117 Biodiversity impacts......................................................................................... 118 Introduction and background .............................................................................. 118 Stakeholder evidence ......................................................................................... 123 Discussion and conclusion.................................................................................. 125 The Gippsland Flood ........................................................................................ 127 Introduction and background .......................................................................... 127 Environmental impact ......................................................................................... 130 The impact of recent bushfires........................................................................ 132 Background......................................................................................................... 132 Stakeholder evidence ......................................................................................... 134 Discussion and conclusion.................................................................................. 136 iv Chapter 4: Bushfire Suppression Infrastructure.......................... 139 Introduction....................................................................................................... 139 Roads, access tracks and signage ................................................................. 139 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 146 Fire breaks and containment lines.................................................................
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