Pre Colonial Forests & Fire – Part 5.
Judge Stretton & Lane-Poole. The 1939 Stretton Royal Commission transcripts reveal debate amongst foresters and graziers about the extent, impact and purpose of pre-colonial Aboriginal burning – a debate occurring decades before current academics and the media popularised their understandings of Aboriginal cultural burning to broader Australia. Charles Edward Lane-Poole, renowned forester and Inspector-General of…
Pre Colonial Forests & Fire – Part 4.
The significance of lightning. The number of bush and grass fires started by lightning varies across Australia, but in the remote mountains of eastern Victoria, they are very frequent – maybe several hundred in a dry summer season. (see: Gippsland Zig – Zag). But interestingly, the early explorers, and even the 1939 Stretton Royal Commission,…
Pre Colonial Forests & Fire – Part 3.
Forest Age Structure. It’s often thought that Victoria’s tall and wet mountain forests, which were perhaps not often visited by Aborigines, would have only burned very infrequently under hot and dry conditions, probably when fires spread from the drier adjoining forests and grasslands. Many of the tree species found in these wet forests, such as…
Pre Colonial Forests & Fire – Part 2.
Colonial Art. Early colonial art provides some tantalising glimpses into the nature and structure of the pre-European forests and woodlands and the impact of bushfires. While some of the works are topographically and botanically accurate, others are more romanticised and impressionist to cater to the tastes of a British audience. But these early paintings and…
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Peter McHugh
Retiring in 2016 after nearly 40 years as a field forester and firefighter in Victoria I now find time to write about the forests and their rich history..
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The Working Forests – Volume 1.
The notion of The Working Forests sits at the very heart of traditional forest management and the long-term approach to sustainability. It conjures up an image of a continuous cycle of harvest and renewal, of balance and multiple use of a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits, while growing, and protecting forests for the future.
This eBook comes in two volumes and aims to capture the story of Victoria’s State Forests from the earliest days of the Colony in the 1800s through to the present.
Volume 1 covers the period from colonisation of Victoria, through to roughly the end of World War Two.
Peter McHugh (2025).
The Working Forests – Volume 2.
The notion of The Working Forests sits at the very heart of traditional forest management and the long-term approach to sustainability. It conjures up an image of a continuous cycle of harvest and renewal, of balance and multiple use of a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits, while growing, and protecting forests for the future.
This eBook comes in two volumes and aims to capture the story of Victoria’s State Forests from the earliest days of the Colony in the 1800s through to the present.
Volume 2 covers the period from World War Two to the present. But there are inevitable overlaps with some topics.
Peter McHugh (2025).
The 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires.
The 1982-83 Victorian Bushfire Season.
Including Ash Wednesday – 16 February 1983.
A forester’s perspective – Peter McHugh (2022).
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria: A compilation of short stories. Series 5.
Peter McHugh (2024).
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria: A compilation of short stories. Series 4.
Peter McHugh (2023).
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria: A compilation of short stories. Series 3.
Peter McHugh (2022).
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria: A compilation of short stories. Series 2.
Peter McHugh (2021).
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria: A compilation of short stories. Series 1.
Peter McHugh (2020)
Forest Faces : Mysterious carved wooden faces of Gippsland’s forests and roadsides.
Peter McHugh (2021)
1965 Gippsland Bushfires : A reconstruction of events from February to March 1965
Peter McHugh (2020)
Copyright © Peter McHugh – 2022. All rights reserved.
This blog draws a selection of my original stories from a parrallel FaceBook Page.
Contact: theworkingforests@gmail.com
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 