Controlled burns to triple
Controlled burns to triple
5 December 2008
published by www.news.com.au
Australia — The State Government pledged yesterday to increase controlled burning across the state, in the wake of a horror bushfire season two years ago.
It will spend an extra $10 million working with the community to develop and implement large-scale planned burning.
The pledge follows the Environment and Natural Resources Committee’s call for the Department of Sustainability and Environment to almost triple its annual prescribed burning target from 130,000ha to 385,000ha.
The committee’s inquiry into the Impact of Public Land Management Practices on Bushfires in Victoria found that the bushfires of 2002-03 and 2006-07 were both the result of inappropriate fire regimes.
It advised that more controlled burning was the best solution.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the DSE would continue to expand large-scale, mosaic burns and monitor their effectiveness.
“Hectare-based targets are not considered to be the best way of measuring effectiveness of the planned burning program,” he said.
