Category Archives: Forests

Fire Management – 101. Fire Protected Area (FPA).

One lasting consequence of the 1939 Stretton Royal Commission was a revision of the Forest Act in 1939 which  handed the Forests Commission the additional responsibility for bushfire protection on all public land including State forests, National Parks and unoccupied Crown Lands, plus a buffer extending one mile beyond their margins onto private land. (A.K.A.Continue reading “Fire Management – 101. Fire Protected Area (FPA).”

Fire Management – 101. Backburning.

Backburning to build or thicken a control line from a strategic fuel break, road, ridgeline or 4WD track is a common and effective dry firefighting technique, particularly in remote and rugged country. But indirect attack using backburning increases overall fire size and therefore fire perimeter. It also introduces more fire into the landscape, often underContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. Backburning.”

Fire Management – 101. Fire / Fuel Breaks.

Victorian foresters were initially trained in European traditions and believed fire had no place in the forest. Like many early settlers, colonial foresters only saw bushfire as a threat, particularly to young regrowth, and sought to eliminate it altogether. A fire exclusion policy, though well-intentioned, shaped forest management for decades with mixed results. Early ForestsContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. Fire / Fuel Breaks.”

Fire Management – 101. Helicopters.

Helicopters capitalise on the three main advantages of aircraft… speed, access and observation… The RAAF’s first helicopter, a Sikorsky S-51 Dragonfly (A80-1), was test flown at Laverton Air Base on 9 October 1947. In May 1949, in an Australian first, the Forests Commission winched firefighters from the hovering Dragonfly. The Sikorsky proved very versatile andContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. Helicopters.”

Fire Management – 101. Firebombing.

The first trials using aircraft to attack bushfires in Australia were conducted in Victoria in 1937-38 when the Forests Commission carried out tests dropping brine solution (bitterns) in cartons. The US Forest Service began trials around the same time and the two organisations collaborated closely over the subsequent decades. Further trials were conducted after theContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. Firebombing.”

Fire Management – 101. First Attack Dozers (FAD).

Fast and aggressive First Attack… has always been the mantra drummed into trainee forest firefighters. The primary aim is to keep bushfires small, and less than 5 ha in size within the first 24-hour period following detection. This gives the best chance of quick control. But the main problem for firefighters on the ground isn’tContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. First Attack Dozers (FAD).”

Fire Management – 101. Introduction to Fire Suppression.

“Fires always look worse at night, and fires always look worse from a distance” – Alan McArthur, c 1961. Firstly, it is important to understand that bushfire perimeter, rather than bushfire area, is the main control problem for forest firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. In extreme cases, the perimeterContinue reading “Fire Management – 101. Introduction to Fire Suppression.”

Fire Management – 101.The Gippsland Zig–Zag.

The landscape features that distinguish Gippsland, and which strongly influence the weather, and therefore the bushfire behaviour are: Far east Gippsland is one of the few places in mainland Australia where the forests extend unbroken from the mountains to the sea. Eastern Victoria, and Gippsland in particular, sits directly within the Australian bushfire flume. TheContinue reading “Fire Management – 101.The Gippsland Zig–Zag.”

Fire Management – 101.Bushfire Flume.

Internationally, southern Australia and particularly the State of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and the island State of Tasmania, is commonly regarded as one of the three most landscapes on Earth prone to damaging bushfires. The other two are southern California and the Mediterranean coast. Victorians live entirely within what the international renown fireContinue reading “Fire Management – 101.Bushfire Flume.”

Fire Management – 101.Understanding Fuel.

Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many factors including forest type, fuel quantity, fuel arrangement, fuel dryness, drought index, temperature, Relative Humidity (RH), topography, atmospheric stability, aspect and even slope. Wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), and also bushfire size, shape and direction. Measuring Fuel Hazard. Fuel quantity (tonnes/ha) affects fireContinue reading “Fire Management – 101.Understanding Fuel.”

Fire Management – 101.

Over the next week or so I will present some material about basic fire management based on my personal knowledge and 40 years’ experience as a Victorian forest manager, senior firefighter and incident controller. The topics covered include – There is a large body  of scientific literature, technical reports and training manuals which capture theContinue reading “Fire Management – 101.”

Fire Management – 101.Some important fire terms.

There is often confusion about the many terms used in firefighting. They often vary between States but are outlined in the AFAC glossary. Here are just a few. https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/glossary/?wordOfTheDay Fuel Reduction Burning. The planned application of fire to reduce hazardous fuel quantities, undertaken under prescribed environmental and fuel conditions within defined boundaries. (AKA Planned burning,Continue reading “Fire Management – 101.Some important fire terms.”

Incendiaries.

Over many decades the Forests Commission used and developed a wide range of incendiary devices for its burning operations. These pyrotechnics included “strike anywhere” wax vestas, safety fusees, burning tyres dragged behind vehicles, humble drip torches, incendiary shotguns and mortars, flame throwers of various designs, blow torches, jellied petrol blivets wired up to electrical circuitsContinue reading “Incendiaries.”

Victorian School of Forestry regalia.

The colours and emblem for the Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) were designed in 1916 when Charlie Carter became the Principal. The school opened only a few years earlier in 1910 and he remained as Principal until 1926. The design was a joint effort with the students. The motto “CIRCUMSPICE”, which is Latin for “lookContinue reading “Victorian School of Forestry regalia.”

Sugar Gum Plantation – Majorca.

Sugar Gum (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) originates in South Australia in three distinct populations: the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. Sugar Gum is also widely planted across the drier western district of Victora as a windbreak or shelterbelt and for durable farming timber as well as magnificent firewood. Sawn timber harvested from sugar gum hasContinue reading “Sugar Gum Plantation – Majorca.”