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#51608 01/06/02 04:53 PM
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My friend "Soma" from the Emule forum sent me this about the fires in a letter, I thought it would be of interest:

"Yes, it's a tough New Year alright. Not where I live, here in Tasmania, but
New South Wales is a disaster with no relief apparent according to weather
forecasts. My brother lives in NSW and although fires came within 20 miles
he is not in an area likely to be at risk. He keeps me well informed of
events but the scale of the thing will probably hit when I visit him in
three weeks time.

I'm certainly no expert, but I believe an unfortunate but quite preventable
set of circumstances have contributed to this fire being the biggest in
Australia's history. Strange though it may seem, bushfires in Australia are
'normal' and may even be essential. In the natural state, and because
Australia has thin dry soils, only light 'scrub' grows between the big gum
trees. The native animals eat this growth and it tends to result in only a
thin layer of dry leaves, grass and the like between trees in the dry
season. If there is a lighting strike, say, and a wind then this tiny 'fuel'
layer burns quickly but does not kill the trees, in fact it brings on
germination and new growth. Put modern man into the scene and things change.
Because more and more chose to live in the 'bush' they frighten off the
native animals and so the scrub doesn't get eaten but grows densely around
populated areas. When this eventually does get a fire the large quantity of
scrub burns with an intense heat burning out and killing the forest.
Obviously, if one lives in these areas it is imperative that preventative
burnbacks take place. Part of the present massive fire problem was the
deliberate termination of preventative burnbacks by well-meaning
conservationists."


#51609 01/06/02 08:57 PM
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Wow, thanks, Wizard WO'N--the same kinds of things happen here in the States. Man's interference sends Nature's plan haywire. A park near me has been planted with native prairie grasses, and they're going to do a controlled burn of part of it, if they get the right weather conditions.


#51610 01/07/02 08:13 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
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old hand
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Greetings All

Have been away on holidays and, as noted, am 2,500 miles from Sydney so well out of harm's way. I'm very touched by all your concern though - thanks.

My folks are a lot closer to the action - they live in Cheltenham, one of Sydney's many beautiful "leafy suburbs". It abuts the Pennant Hills forest (I grew up in West Pennant Hills) where the northern suburbs fire started just after Christmas. I called my Mum to check they were OK but wasn't expecting an observation of hers - among other things, the fire trucks' sirens had kept her awake all night! Of course they were concerned by the whole thing - but so were millions of other people. Their plans to spend a week or two at their holiday house were cancelled because of all the road closures in, out and around Sydney.

The Australian cricket team just "whitewashed" the South African team 3-0 in a three test (ie match) series. Upon receiving the winners' cheque they donated the lot to the bushfire appeal - a highly appreciated act of generosity considering this is how they earn their income. (I know the players could not be thought of as "doing it hard", but nevertheless it was generous of them).

One feature of the fires that's getting plenty of airtime is the "Sky Crane" fire fighting helicopter known as Elvis that was lent by the state of Victoria to New South Wales for the fires. The powers that be were so impressed that two units have been hired for the next ten weeks out of Florida. They arrived today at Sydney and will be used immediately to assist with the fires that are still in progress. Fotunately there was rain overnight and the "firies" are making headway.

The biggest environmental tragedy was the near complete devastation of the Royal National Park which forms the southern limit of suburban Sydney proper (anybody that's ever flown into Sydney on a southern approach will have passed over it). I believe it's the second oldest national park in the world and unique for a number of other reasons. The plants will regrow eventually, but it will take decades (if ever) for a good level of biodiversity to be established.

The usual arguments over whether to do preventative burns have started and will no doubt persist. I was interested to hear however that Western Australia (where I now live) is considered by many as setting the benchmark for wildfire prevention. Our Department of Conservation and Land Management ("CALM" - good acronym hey!) apparently spend around 25% of their time and manning budget on fire control. Its NSW equivalent, the Dept. of Parks and Wildlife however spends around 6% of its time on the matter (by the same measure). I think this says it all - maybe a case of false economy when the toll so far includes 172 houses around the state and something like US$40 million just to fight these outbreaks - so far. I heard that another 1,500 people were evacuated from two NSW south coast towns this afternoon - the action continues it seems. Expect also to see a few insurance companies go under soon - and a huge hike in fire insurance premiums.

Having grown up in the bushfire belt of Sydney I am only too familiar with the terror of these things. My family and I helped fight a fire that threatened a friend's house when I was a kid and I'll never forget what I saw and heard. The house was on a 5 acre lot carved out of the forest with no trees closer than about 50 yards. The fire came with the speed of an express train, but about a hundred times the volume. 100 foot high trees just turned brown in seconds and burst into flame ahead of the blaze, the fireball jumping from crown to crown. Wooden fence posts just burst into flame from the ambient heat (they were 150 feet from the blaze) and sparks blew with tremendous force through the cracks around the doors and windows - like the shower of sparks from an angle grinder. Us kids spent most of the time putting out cinders on the carpet. We soaked towels in the bath and used them to cover up the gaps - but they'd steam dry in a few minutes and had to be replaced. Unbelievable.

Stales


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In no way underestimating the tragedy this season has represented to many in oz, I gather there are around 700 species of eucalyptus, which make up 90% of Australia’s forests – these gummy trees have developed with particular adaptive resilience to regular natural bush fire conditions as WO'N's mate noted.

What’s more, some trees cannot survive without periodic blazes. Lodgepole and jack pines are serotinous species (nice word, huh?!) - their cones open and their seeds germinate only after they have been exposed to fire.


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Thanks Mav - here's a bit more on your comments.....

In particular I refer to your emphasis of the word "natural" and suggest it may be incorrect. Fire is an important part of the growth cycle of much of our forests and heath lands but the plants' reliance upon naturally occurring fires is questionable.

Depending upon which school of archaeology you follow, aboriginals came to this land somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. According to the fossil record, their arrival had a dramatic (even catastrophic wouldn't be too strong a word) impact on the number and type of animal and plant species. Of course the arrival of European settlers 200 years ago took the destruction to far greater levels, but nonetheless a lot had changed in the pre- and post-human landscape.

The prime reason for the change due to aboriginal inhabitation was fire. Being nomadic hunter gatherers, fire was the aboriginal people's main tool in smoking out animals and for ensuring others were attracted (by the fresh shoots) in the revegetation phase. There were sundry other benefits such as simply clearing the land for easy pedestrian transit. (I don't know if you've ever walked naked through spinifex grass country - but it would be an extremely painful experience - it is even when fully clothed and wearing protective gaiters!!)

Anyway, the point is that the plant species present today are dominated by those that could survive fire or, as mentioned, those that that rely upon fire or smoke for seed germination.

BTW, I believe it would be incorrect to suggest that the plants have evolved to rely upon these methods since humans came. 40,000 to 60,000 years is probably not long enough. Hence my comment that the plants we see are those that were already adapted to cope with periodic fires.

stales

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the plants' reliance upon naturally occurring fires is questionable […]the plants we see are those that were already adapted to cope with periodic fires…

Yep, that’s pretty much how I would have interpreted things too, Stales. I guess it er, boils down to the er, degree of weight accorded to the different factors at any one period – but in outline, plants have developed with particular survival and reproductive mechanisms suited to the periodic fires natural in a hot landscape; and these plants have been further favoured by selective pressures created by other components of the natural world… including the vigorous animal known as homo sapiens. ;-)



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