Western Australia’s recent devastating bushfires can be seen as a result of a flawed approach to fuel reduction burn-offs.
The council adopted a contentious recommendation against controlled burn-offs after a flawed biology student’s research paper was accepted (Draft Management Plan for Lloyd Hughes Park).
They did infrequent controlled burns.
Residents whingeing about smoke blanketing Perth during controlled burns were one reason they weren’t carried out on schedule last year.
Armadale City Council adopted a “no controlled burning” recommendation and is now paying the price. The Council went for no controlled burning for 15 years with roads and low fuel zones created around the perimeter.
Wildlife did some thinning and a hazard-reduction burn was carried out 4 years ago in part of the park.
The Council began to change its views and sent rangers out to check fuel loads. Hazard reduction burns were sometimes carried out. “We realised that life and property were more important.”
The Council’s new policy yet to be implemented was to keep fuel loads in all parks to between 4 and 6 tonnes per hectare down from 8 tonnes per hectare which was previously considered acceptable.
There is strong opposition to controlled burning and having trees removed from surrounding homes but the inevitable consequence is that those areas are more likely to be burnt out by fire.