the bushfires

[som farmer]

had an interesting chat with someone who had spent time in Australia, talking about the fires, he said, that it was usual policy to create firebreaks, but the conservationist's had been complaining about 'the loss of habitat' etc, and the regular maintainance of the fire breaks had stopped, allowing brush etc to regrow, which now is increasing the inferno. I have no idea if this is true or not, but it sounds reasonable. Here in the UK we have had some pretty serious fires on some of our moorland, they are not, of course, anything like the os fires, but it made me wonder about the 'fire prevention' methods, on our moors, the conservation lobby, has been complaining about burning breaks on our moors, perhaps this could be pointed out to them?

 

[Farmer Roy]

It’s Murdoch media climate change denial bullshît
Blame the greens
Blame the arsonists
Just don’t acknowledge that our climate is getting hotter & drier because that might upset the coal miners
girls

https://www.facebook.com/100004124769422/posts/1486369508177194

https://www.facebook.com/100004124769422/posts/1480110585469753

 

[Farmer Roy]

https://www.facebook.com/345960425540557/posts/1842723932530858

 

[Henarar]

So @Farmer Roy have the fire breaks been stopped in recent years ?
If it is climate change that has caused the fires to be so bad and not the lack of fire breaks then why did they ever put in fire breaks ?

 

[Farmer Roy]

Much lower than average rainfalls for a number of years across all the areas these fires are burning, higher temperatures for a number of years all resulting in very low humidity, a dehydrated landscape & a fire disaster waiting to happen.
Australia is the canary in the coal mine in regards to global climate change & it is hitting us first & hitting us hard.
I don’t know who the “Australians” you were talking to ( & I hope they weren’t friends or family ), but most Australians are right wing climate denying coal loving girls.
The Australian contempt for the environment can be summed up in the old motto of “if it moves, shoot it. If it doesn’t, push it down”

no - the reason these fires are so bad & so widespread is purely because our environment has become so hot & so dry. The first of these fires, that kicked off on the last day of our winter, in NE NSW, were in rainforest country that never burns. Except - it has dried out due to climate change

 

[Treg]

It’s Murdoch media climate change denial bullpoo
Blame the greens
Blame the arsonists
Just don’t acknowledge that our climate is getting hotter & drier because that might upset the coal miners
girls

https://www.facebook.com/100004124769422/posts/1486369508177194

https://www.facebook.com/100004124769422/posts/1480110585469753

Don't hold back Roy, do you feel the greens are responsible or not?

 

[Water Wheel]

On BBC News so must be true !
Australia fires: Aboriginal planners say the bush 'needs to burn'

Australia fires: Aboriginal planners say the bush 'needs to burn'

What would happen if Australia followed the ancient bushfire management practices of Aboriginal people?

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Farmer Roy]

Don't hold back Roy, do you feel the greens are responsible or not?

how can a minor party who have NEVER held government, or ever had more than 1 or 2 seats in parliament, in ANY state or federal government, be responsible for ANY policy ?

 

[Farmer Roy]

On BBC News so must be true !
Australia fires: Aboriginal planners say the bush 'needs to burn'

Australia fires: Aboriginal planners say the bush 'needs to burn'

What would happen if Australia followed the ancient bushfire management practices of Aboriginal people?

www.bbc.co.uk

FFS

yes, cool, mosaic burns.
everyone agrees that hazard reduction is beneficial
the trouble is, as much as everyone would like to do hazard reduction burns during the winter / cool seasons, the conditions haven’t been suitable for the last couple of years, or have been severely restricted due to it being so hot & dry

also, funding for any of these cool season hazard reduction burns has been severely cut back, by, you guessed it, the conservative, right wing state & federal governments

yeah - but lets blame the environmentalists - the very people who have been warning us about this for 20 odd years
FFS

which bit of hotter & drier conditions for a number of years are people missing ?

 

[Henarar]

FFS

yes, cool, mosaic burns.
everyone agrees that hazard reduction is beneficial
the trouble is, as much as everyone would like to do hazard reduction burns during the winter / cool seasons, the conditions haven’t been suitable for the last couple of years, or have been severely restricted due to it being so hot & dry

which bit of hotter & drier conditions for a number of years are people musding

So it hasn't been stopped for environmental reasons? Just to clarify

 

[som farmer]

FFS

yes, cool, mosaic burns.
everyone agrees that hazard reduction is beneficial
the trouble is, as much as everyone would like to do hazard reduction burns during the winter / cool seasons, the conditions haven’t been suitable for the last couple of years, or have been severely restricted due to it being so hot & dry

also, funding for any of these cool season hazard reduction burns has been severely cut back, by, you guessed it, the conservative, right wing state & federal governments

yeah - but lets blame the environmentalists - the very people who have been warning us about this for 20 odd years
FFS

which bit of hotter & drier conditions for a number of years are people missing ?

fair enough, I was wrong about the enviromentalists, but over here, they want to rewild the moors, but moan like #### when something untoward happens,and they object to limited burning. But is nothing like you poor chaps are having to live through , it must be horrendous, and I feel for you.

 

[Dry Rot]

People who know (Australian aborigines, upland gamekeepers, etc) have been burning "brush" since time began because the new growth is nutritious and attracts game. That is why grouse moors are burnt. Game wants varied habitat, including young fresh growth, for feeding, cover, etc. Same thing in the Australian bush, fresh grazing brings the game and more game means better hunting. The fire breaks are a bonus.

I've been training pointing dogs on grouse moors for decades and there is nothing like a pointing dog to show you where game is without causing much disturbance. I remember coming off a hillside in torrential rain with a gale behind it. I had to walk through knee high heather which every moorland manager would have said should have been burnt. Pack after pack of grouse rose from the heather where they had been sheltering from the storm. On the other hand, on a reasonable day, I'd find grouse where there was both medium length heather and short heather, i.e. where there is both feeding and cover but enough open space to get out in the sun to dry off when the rain stopped. There would be none where all the heather was the same length because the chicks had not survived. The trouble with these environmentalists is that they only go outside when the sun is shining!