forest fires, what dont I understand
 

I'm always baffled when forest fires destroy lots of houses in a town or even scattered about.

Why has the forest not in the preceding months and years been cut back?
I have no idea what distance is needed, 250'ish yards perhaps between forest and houses with short grass in between the two???

For the last few years every year the same news story but towns and secluded properties don't seem to learn.

what am I not understanding ?

macafee2

Drought is the biggest factor. It's not rained properly in 2 years.
It only takes 1 ember , a small breeze and something combustible for it to spread.

Easier said than done, work out the quantity of trees in a perimeter of 250 yards around each structure. Much like wondering why rivers are not dredged to prevent flooding or why houses are build on flood planes.

Drought is a terrible thing....

Some say that controlled fires are usual maintenance. As you say, that reduces the amount of dry wood and keeps the density low.

It has been reported that environmental protestors have managed to stop controlled burning, and here we are...

Ah, but in doing so, they have a catastrophe they can blame solely on "climate change"

I was speaking to one of our Antipodean cousins before Christmas about this very subject.

It is very sad to hear of the loss of life, due to the ill thought out policy change of not creating firebreaks :(

Brian

In case of pine woods flamed seed cones are projectiles in which case 250 yards is nothing for them. They will flame all around ...

ok so its dry but there needs to be fuel for the fire, remove the fuel and what has the fire got to burn?
strike a match, it burns to the end and goes out, the "fire" can only continue if the flame can get to something else that burns. no fuel, no fire.

why are trees not cut back?

macafee2

Anyone know if they are actually worse this year in Australia than any previous year? Or is the media spotlight shining a bit brighter? Be interesting to know if they are worse.

How about getting our Government getting their priorities right and divert some of the millions of pounds we send to dubious countries and give some of it to a worth while cause, AUSTRALIA,

Rev

oz fires
 

most of the fires have started due to lightening strikes and a few have been started by NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD-NAUGHTY WORD- on purpose, these fires are huge 150km across and travel at 30 to 40 km per hour most of the fires are in areas where you simply cant get to,most of the trees are gum trees full of gum oil and pine trees which explode, they also create there own weather pattern, truly,
the crown fire wich is the top of the tree starts first and the wind blows the embers up to 10 km away in front, the major problem is the greenies in the councils do not like backburning because they say its not natural and so the fuel builds up, the fires are so hot the firies cant get close in ,makes the heat so intense, its the speed which the fire travels which is worrying, water bombers are great but can only do so much, no one admits voting for the greenies so how do they get in?? its terrible to see peoples houses gone and all the animals dying or being put to sleep, its going to take 10 years to get back on track and the government will be very worried,they new it was coming yet did nothing in this day and age how have they let it get this far, these fires started in july !!!! at present we have firies from the usa ,Canada, new Zealand and from all the other oz states ,now the navy are taking people off the beach in choppers and landing crafts to mother ship then 18 hours journey south to just north of mebourne