The forest worshippers and their failed mantras

Hyper fires started in 1998 with the Caledonia River fire. This event went virtually unnoticed except that in the little north Gippsland township of Licola the water supply was severely compromised. Residents made their feelings known then and have done so, with justification, ever since.

Early 2007 saw Licola left to defend itself or burn. It then suffered a huge mudslide in February 2007 followed by savage torrents of sediment laden water bursting the banks of the Macalister River, carrying all before it. Roads, bridges, fencing, dwellings and any man made structure that got in its way.

The 59 days of fires in 2003 were bad enough to require an official response and Commissioner Esplin was detailed to write a report to excuse the bad land management of the government. He could not hide the fact that in the years since the Caledonia River fires there had been no measures taken to reduce forest fuels. This lack of basic management has been reported upon by the Auditor General of Victoria on at least two occasions

To his credit, in his 2003 Preliminary Report, at Section 5.5, Esplin draws attention to the protection of the Melbourne Water catchments located in rural Victoria. He notes Melbourne Water’s co-operation with the Country Fire Authority and recognises the extensive network of well maintained 4WD fire access tracks and the availability of trained, well equipped fire fighters who are located close to the catchments that they protect. Melburnians may rest easy with respect to their water supply.

Rural water catchments do not attract that level of protection.

Fires in Central Gippsland and Western Victoria in 2005-2006 were followed by 69 days of fires in the summer of 2006-7.

The total area incinerated in Victoria, due to the deliberate neglect of our forests is now an area of two and a half million hectares, or about eleven million acres.

The next fire season is probably starting within two months. There is no indication of any correlation with global warming, nor climate change and if we are subjected to further hyper fires it will be due to the deliberate inaction of the Victorian Government.