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That was a hazard reduction burn carried out about
2months ago
Around 1984 a bushfire roared along both sides of
Belconnen Way including Bruce Ridge fanned by a hot westerly. It burnt one car
parked on Dryandra St and a few hedges but no houses were lost. However the
conditions weren't as bad as during the January 2003 fire that burnt into
Duffy. Belconnen Way is regarded as a dangerous fire corridor (when a hot
westerly is blowing) by the ACT bushfire authorities and I wouldn't
like to be living in that part of O'Connor exposed to it with a wildfire coming
down Belconnen Way under similar conditions to the 03 fire without considerable
hazard reduction burns having been carried out on the north side of Black
Mountain and Bruce Ridge.
I took part in over 30 postfire vegetation surveys
after the 03 fire at sites that had been surveyed 5 to 30 years before.
Every species of plant that was reported before the fire at those sites was
regenerating after the fire plus some that weren't reported in the prefire
survey. I think the 03 fire was more destructive on widlife habitat
than any hazard reduction burn I've seen.
I also took part in postfire small mammal and
pitfall trapping at sites that were surveyed before the 03 fire and all the
small mammals and lizard species that were recorded at those sites before
the fire were there after the fire.
I think it's better to have hazard reduction burns
every 3 to 15 years (with some sites protected as
needed according to appropriate studies for certain animal species) than
have a devastating fire at 50 to 100 year intervals.
Peter
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