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# Bushfire Front

Bushfire management in Western Australia

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://bushfirefront.org.au/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Believing the Balga](https://bushfirefront.org.au/believing-the-balga/) - Forty years ago, forestry scientist Dr David Ward started scratching away at the trunks of WA's long-lived balga trees and made an amazing discovery. He found that the exposed black rings correlated to past fire events. Significantly, the scars suggested that much of our southwest forests were burnt by indigenous Australians as often as every
- [Scale Changes...Principles Don't!](https://bushfirefront.org.au/scale-changes-principles-dont/) - Bushfire Front member Roger Underwood is a well known forester, historian and writer. He is also an expert in forest and woodland fire management. In this short piece Roger explains how he conducted a recent autumn burn at his own property, under a small grove of salmon gums... Burning For FunDownload
- [Fire and Water](https://bushfirefront.org.au/fire-and-water/) - How Prescribed Burning Protects Our Water Supplies 83134_BFF Handout Water #3 (1) (2)Download
- [Letter to Minister for the Environment 6/11/21](https://bushfirefront.org.au/letter-to-minister-for-the-environment-61121/) - The Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson Minister for the Environment Dumas House, West Perth, WA Dear Minister Bushfire management in south-west forests Thank you for your letter (reference 76-05152, dated November 2, 2021). It was pleasing to read your commitment that “there is no change to, and no intention to change, the policy settings around prescribed burning
- [A Critique of the 'Response Only' Bushfire Strategy for Southwest WA](https://bushfirefront.org.au/a-critique-of-the-response-only-bushfire-strategy-for-southwest-wa/) - The BFF has become increasingly aware of a campaign by environmentalists and academics to constrain or shut down the prescribed burning program in southwest forests. They advocate that it be replaced by a super-dooper fire detection and response force, employing expensive and untested technology. On the contrary, the BFF strongly supports fuel reduction burning as
- [1978 Dwellingup Fire Story](https://bushfirefront.org.au/1978-dwellingup-fire-story/) - Another great “good news story” from the annals of WA bushfire history! This is the account by Neville Brass and John Skillen of events at Dwellingup in 1978 when a potential bushfire disaster was averted, thanks to sound forest management and experienced and efficient firefighters. Read more here!! 27 FiresDownload
- [Prescribed Burning - The Facts](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning-the-facts/) - Prescribed Burning.......Planned Burning.......Fuel Reduction Burning... Whatever you call it, here are the facts! THE FACTS HERE
- [Landscape prescribed burning: a south west Australian perspective](https://bushfirefront.org.au/landscape-prescribed-burning-a-south-west-australian-perspective/) - A paper by Neil Burrows and Rick Sneeuwjagt Burrows and Sneeuwjagt Prescribed Burning PaperDownload
- [Media Release](https://bushfirefront.org.au/media-release/) - New research confirms value of fuel reduction burning in karri forests Peer-reviewed research published in the Australian Forestry journal has confirmed something that forest firefighters have long known: if forests are left unburned for many years, they still carry heavy bushfire fuels, making firefighting difficult and dangerous. The new research demolishes the theory that if
- [<em>GREAT NEWS!</em>](https://bushfirefront.org.au/great-news/) - There has been a lot of press from some people and groups critical of DBCA's prescribed burning practices. They've been pushing for a review or enquiry. But late last week a "Standing Parliamentary Committee", after many months, firmly concluded that NO review or enquiry is required The Bushfire Front will continue to support prescribed burning as
- [Zounds Professor Zylstra](https://bushfirefront.org.au/zounds-professor-zylstra/) - The expression of truth is simplicity. Seneca the Younger 4BC-65AD The late Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a well known fiction writer, one of his books being ‘Lord of the Rings’ (1). Yet some have complained that a film made in New Zealand based on this book over simplified his ideas, which have a
- [Bushfire Front Confronts Anti-fire Campaign!](https://bushfirefront.org.au/bushfire-front-confronts-anti-fire-campaign/) - LETTER TO MINISTER Dear Minister Campaign to undermine bushfire management in WA I feel sure we do not need to bring to your attention the insidious, dishonest and calculated campaign currently being waged to undermine professional bushfire management in WA. This is taking the form of a stream of media articles, forums, pseudo-scientific papers and
- [Cultural Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/cultural-burning/) - The concept of “cultural burning” is attracting a great deal of interest these days. We understand the term to mean the burning of the bush in the manner of Aboriginal peoples over many thousands of years prior to European settlement in Western Australia. The BFF is well aware of, and admires the many ways in
- [Letter from Minister Dawson re: Prescribed Burning ](https://bushfirefront.org.au/letter-from-minister-dawson-re-prescribed-burning-/) - Dear Mr Underwood Officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions andDepartment of Fire and Emergency Services have reviewed the Zylstra etal. (2022) paperand consider that the data does not support the conclusions drawn by the authors forseveral reasons largely due to issues within the methodology and analysis.Thank you for your correspondence dated 19
- [One year on...Wandoo forest aerial burn](https://bushfirefront.org.au/one-year-on-wandoo-forest-aerial-burn/) - In March 2021 I was on a field trip into the wandoo forest of the Helena catchment, when I came across Parks and Wildlife staff just commencing an aerial burn. I stopped to have a look and a chat. Having once been District Manager at Mundaring, I knew the country, and I still knew some
- [Jarrahdale dodges a wildfire bullet](https://bushfirefront.org.au/jarrahdale-dodges-a-wildfire-bullet/) - In summer 2007, I planned and supervised the establishment of a research thinning trial in regrowth jarrah (E.marginata) forest about 15 km east of the Western Australian town of Jarrahdale. The trial consisted of eight plots, each one hectare in size, thinned to various densities of trees. The plots were established as part of the
- [Historical Letters on Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-letters-on-fire/) - Four More Historical Letters on Fire ‘History is philosophy from examples.’ - Dionysius of Halicarnassus, circa 30 BC In south-west Australia, over the past few decades, there has been both constructive and misleading debate over past burning by the Noongar people. I, and many others, including dozens of Noongar Elders I have met, and some eminent
- [Submission to the Independent Inquiry into the Wooroloo bushfire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/submission-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-the-wooroloo-bushfire/) - Submission to the Independent Inquiry into the Wooroloo bushfire September 2021 The Bushfire FrontWe are an independent organisation comprising experienced bushfire scientists, and specialists in bushfire prevention and operations. Our members have spent entire careers actively involved in fire management.Our mission is to promote a system of bushfire management in WA that minimises the occurrence
- [Rumble in the Jungle at Karagullen](https://bushfirefront.org.au/rumble-in-the-jungle-at-karagullen/) - This grasstree is near Karagullen, WA. Careful chemistry and histology confirm that the dark marks (lapachol) show past fires, and the faint brown marks in between (tannin) are annual growth marks. Given a constant growth rate for these plants, it can be seen, beyond doubt, that fires were much more frequent in the past
- [Victoria's BFF equivalent, "The Howitt Society" share benefits of prescribed burning!](https://bushfirefront.org.au/victorias-bff-equivalent-the-howitt-society-share-more-benefits-of-prescribed-burning/) - The Howitt Society, Victoria's equivalent of the Bushfire Front in WA, is equally strong in advocating the benefits of prescribed burning. Here is an article from their latest newsletter on the role of fuel reduction burning, with excellent examples from their "Black Summer" bushfires. We support the Howitt Society in their endeavours to influence public thinking
- [The 2020 Bushfire Royal Commission](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-2020-bushfire-royal-commission/) - This post is a summary of an article published in the journal Quadrant by Bushfire Front Chairman Roger Underwood. The full article can be seen at :https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2020/11/the-flaming-idiocy-of-yet-another-bushfire-panel/ The Royal Commission into the 2019/20 bushfire disasters is a disaster itself. The TOR were flawed for a start as they concentrated on processes, not outcomes. Then
- [The Truth About Fuel Reduction Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-truth-about-fuel-reduction-burning/) - In the aftermath of the disastrous 2019/2020 fire season in the Eastern States there have been many examples in the media of personnel associated with State fire suppression agencies, as well as academics, putting forward their theories concerning the role of fuel reduction burning (aka prescribed burning). Their theme has been “fuel reduction burning did
- [Outback Bushfire Problems](https://bushfirefront.org.au/outback-bushfire-problems/) - While public attention and the focus of the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements will naturally relate to the recent summer fires and fire crises in Qld, NSW. Vic and SA, it is important to also consider the other “out of sight and out of mind” fire-related issues in the remote outback,
- [Emergency Services Levy](https://bushfirefront.org.au/emergency-services-levy/) - THE EMERGENCY SERVICES LEVY Each year all landholders in WA pay an Emergency Services Levy (ESL), which is intended to be a fair way of raising the funds necessary for emergency services such as sea rescue and urban firefighting. The funds are collected by Shire Councils along with their annual rate notices and
- [Protecting Towns From Bushfires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/protecting-towns-from-bushfires/) - The disastrous bushfire that destroyed the town of Yarloop has brought into sharp focus the danger that exists for several towns in the south-west part of Western Australia. Towns at risk include Collie, Margaret River, Donnybrook and Denmark. All these are completely or partially surrounded by forested land where maintenance of low fuel levels
- [Effectiveness of Prescribed Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/effectiveness-of-prescribed-burning/) - Example of effectiveness of a prescribed burning programme in controlling major forest fires—the 2005 Perth Hills fire by Rick Sneeuwjagt An outstanding example of the contribution of fuel reduction burning in the control of a fierce forest wildfire was on the 15-25 January 2005, in the Perth Hills, also known as the Pickering Brook fire.
- [What Firefighters Say](https://bushfirefront.org.au/what-firefighters-say/) - Ask any fire-fighter : prescribed burning mitigates bushfire losses There has been a lot of comment in the media lately from Eastern States academics claiming that prescribed burning (also known as fuel reduction burning) is of no use in preventing large damaging wildfires, which is almost all totally divorced from reality. We even have
- [Importance of Prescribed Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/importance-of-prescribed-burning/) - Why prescribed burning has never been so important to Australia The purpose of a fuel-reduction burning program is not to stop bushfires, but to assist with their safe suppression. To understand this properly it is necessary to understand the complex and dynamic process of bushfire suppression. Bushfires burnt millions of hectares in NSW and
- [Why the Bushfire Front Supports Fuel Reduction Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/why-the-bushfire-front-supports-fuel-reduction-burning/) - We strongly support the need to carry out regular, mild-intensity burns in State forests and national parks. The aim is NOT to stop bushfires from starting. The aim is to reduce the killing power of a wildfire. Even on a hot, windy day in mid-summer, a wildfire is easier, cheaper and safer to control
- [Privacy Policy](https://bushfirefront.org.au/privacy-policy/) - Bushfire Front is bound by the Privacy Act 1988, which sets out a number of principles concerning the privacy of individuals. Collection of your personal information We do not collect personal information on any visitor to our site. Use of visitor information For each visitor to reach the site, we expressively collect the following non-personally
- [Cyclone Disaster Remembered](https://bushfirefront.org.au/cyclone-disaster-remembered/) - Forty years ago in April 1978, Cyclone Alby brought one of Western Australia's worst storm and bushfire crises to the South-west and Great Southern regions. Both were severely hit. Five lives were lost in the storm and dozens injured. Hundreds of houses were burned down or damaged, thousands of hectares of farms were burnt,
- [The Usual Urban Panics](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-usual-urban-panics/) - It’s another summer again and once again we have almost daily TV accounts of an urban blaze somewhere around Perth in some pocket of urban bush or local bush reserve that goes up in flames. Such bushfires are a real threat to homes, mainly from ember attack, and the smoke causes distress to people
- [Bushfire Awareness](https://bushfirefront.org.au/bushfire-awareness/) - Unfortunately there will always be bushfires. No matter what we do, fires will start from lightning strikes, human carelessness, accidents or arson. If you live in a rural or semi-rural area, or a country town, you need to know if you are located in a fire-prone zone. Your Shire council will have maps showing
- [Unsafe Places](https://bushfirefront.org.au/unsafe-places/) - While there is a severe fire hazard in many places in Western Australia, there are several standout places where the hazards are very high, and the potential for loss of life and property is also very high. Local governments need to be planning how to expand fuel reduction activities for next spring now, to
- [Impact of Bauxite Mining on Forest Fire Management](https://bushfirefront.org.au/impact-of-bauxite-mining-on-forest-fire-management/) - It is not generally appreciated what a large proportion of the Western Australian jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata)forest is covered by mining leases for the extraction of bauxite, nor how bauxite mining has greatly complicated forest fire management and hugely increased fuel loads in State forest. While the bauxite mining and alumina production has undoubtedly been
- [Hey! It's the Fire Season Again](https://bushfirefront.org.au/hey-its-the-fire-season-again/) - It’s the beginning of October and two predictable things have occurred: there has been a burst of smoke in Western Australian skies as Parks and Wildlife begin their annual prescribed burning program, and we have been subjected to the usual warnings that the coming fire season will be severe, possibly catastrophic. The Parks and
- [Further Comments on NSW and Victorian Bushfires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/further-comments-on-nsw-and-victorian-bushfires/) - Comments on the NSW and Victorian Fires at New Year, 2020 by Roger Underwood AM Although deeply invested emotionally, I am lucky in two respects: (i) to be observing the NSW and Victorian fires from afar with no danger of being burned; and (ii) being too old to be called up to help.
- [Smoke in Autumn](https://bushfirefront.org.au/smoke-in-autumn/) - The skies in South Western WA in autumn usually carry large volumes of smoke from prescribed burning in forests. While there have been some complaints from urban areas about the amount of smoke, the Bushfire Front applauds the efforts of the Parks and Wildlife Service in carrying out these burns. They will greatly assist
- [The Eastern States Bushfires 2019](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-eastern-states-bushfires-2019/) - by Roger Underwood A recent article in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph paints a despondent picture: horrible bushfires are "the new normal" because of climate change. The fire season, we learn, now extends to nearly 10 months of the year, and bushfires have become so intense that they cannot be stopped before immense damage
- [A Rural Fire Service for WA](https://bushfirefront.org.au/a-rural-fire-service-for-wa/) - Why We Need a Rural Fire Service Why is the Government running scared of providing us the type of Fire Service that those living outside the Perth area and major country towns deserve? Western Australia used to have an effective rural fire service. It was called the Bush Fires Board. It was a small
- [Bushfire Management Must Be Fixed](https://bushfirefront.org.au/summary-of-government-responses-to-the-inquiries/) - A proposal by the Bush Fire Front Inc., March 2016 Introduction The 2016 Waroona/Yarloop fire is the latest in a growing number of serious bushfires in the South west of WA. The graph below demonstrates this clearly. Current bushfire arrangements in WA are not coping with the challenge of protecting the community and the environment
- [Autumn Smoke](https://bushfirefront.org.au/autumn-smoke/) - The skies in South Western WA this autumn have carried large volumes of smoke from prescribed burning in forests along the Darling Range. While there have been some complaints from urban areas about the amount of smoke, the Bushfire Front applauds the efforts of the Parks and Wildlife Service in carrying out these burns. They
- [Smoke](https://bushfirefront.org.au/smoke/) - The Smoke Issue The smoke that arises from bushfires, whether it comes from prescribed burns or from wildfires, is a controversial subject in Western Australia. Every time the metropolitan area is affected by smoke drift from a prescribed burn in nearby forests there is an outcry in the media. Paradoxically, there is little comment on
- [Bushfire Threat To Water Purity](https://bushfirefront.org.au/bushfire-threat-to-water-purity/) - The devastation caused by large, intense bushfires on communities, forests and farms is well-known. It is a focus for the media every time there is a fire. What is less well-known is the damage from wildfire to our water catchments. The 2005 Perth Hills bushfire is a good example. This fire had a major adverse
- [The Sawyers Bushfire - Disaster Averted](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-sawyers-bushfire-disaster-averted/) - The January 2018 Sawyers Valley bushfire occurred under moderate temperature but windy conditions. Believed to have been started by an arsonist, the fire started at about 8 AM alongside Gorrie Road and moved rapidly to the west-south-west in jarrah and wandoo forest, driven by gusty easterly winds into fuels that varied from 7 to 20
- [The Blackboy Story](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-blackboy-story/) - Even down south…. . ↑
- [The alternative approaches](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-alternative-approaches/) - Bushfire management in Australian forests – confronting a changing environment by Roger Underwood There is an old saying that one of the greatest of human failings is the inability to learn from the mistakes of others. One example is that of my 2-year old grandson, who despite being warned, could not resist testing the heat
- [The particular need for prescribed burning in forested catchment areas](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-particular-need-for-prescribed-burning-in-forested-catchment-areas/) - We do not hear much these days about the water levels in our Hills dams, which are all in forested areas. Now that we have two large (and very expensive) desalination plants the importance of the Hills dams has fallen off the radar somewhat. The runoff into the dams has been poor in recent
- [Fuel management is the critical factor](https://bushfirefront.org.au/fuel-management-is-the-critical-factor/) - The Importance of Reducing Fuel Loadings Much of the vegetated areas between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin are carrying long unburnt and very heavy fuels which in the event of a bushfire will produce fast moving and high intensity fire behaviour. There is much the land owner can do to reduce the hazards and fire
- [The need for a landscape approach](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-need-for-a-landscape-approach/) - TBA
- [What is prescribed burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/what-is-prescribed-burning/) - What Happens in a Fuel Reduction Burn It is important to understand that when an area has had its understorey fuel reduced by a low intensity burn, it does not become a firebreak, in the sense that it will stop a running fire, unless the burn has been moderately intense, as is often the case
- [The role of water bombers](https://bushfirefront.org.au/the-role-of-water-bombers/) - Water bombing and magic bullets by Roger Underwood Back in the summer of 1960/61, when I was training to become a forestry officer, I was unlucky enough to be caught up as a firefighter in the great bushfires of that year. In the Dwellingup Fire, three towns were burnt out; a further town was burned
- [Fighting fire with fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/fighting-fire-with-fire/)
- [Yarloop/Ferguson](https://bushfirefront.org.au/yarloopferguson/) - The Ferguson Report into the Waroona/Yarloop bushfire Submission to the Inquiry in response to the report, from the Bushfire Front The government is to be commended for the appointment of Euan Ferguson to inquire into the Waroona/Yarloop bushfire, and for ensuring that his inquiry was professionally conducted. In our view this is the best-conducted bushfire
- [Keelty](https://bushfirefront.org.au/keelty/) - The Keelty Inquiry into Bushfires in WA. A submission from The Bushfire Front Inc April 2011 Summary Bushfire management can be looked at in two ways: (i) the efficiency with which bushfires are tackled and suppressed after they start; and (ii)the measures which can be taken in anticipation of a bushfire, to ensure fire damage
- [News item number 3](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/)

## Pages

- [Smoke](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/smoke/) - The Smoke Issue The smoke that arises from bushfires, whether it comes from prescribed burns or from wildfires, is a controversial subject in Western Australia. Every time the metropolitan area is affected by smoke drift from a prescribed burn in nearby forests there is an outcry in the media. Paradoxically, there is little comment on
- [Impacts of Bushfires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/impacts-of-bushfires/) - Impacts of Bushfires Here we are considering the adverse effects of high intensity wildfires on the community and the environment. It should be remembered that it is not just intensity of a bushfire that matters. The extent of a bushfire is also very important. A large bushfire can cause multiple direct impacts: on life and
- [Resources](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/) - Click on the Resources drop down menu above to access any of our resource articles!
- [About BFF](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-us/) - The Bushfirefront Committee Members
- [Home](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/)
- [The WAIT Paper](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/the-value-of-prescribed-burning/) - The WAIT Paper The following paper is reproduced, with permission, from the proceedings of a symposium at the (then) WA Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) entitled “Fire Ecology and Management in Western Australian Ecosystems” (Julian Ford ed.). It is a comprehensive account of the practical experience of foresters in Western Australia that demonstrates the
- [The Bushfire Front](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-us/the-bushfire-front/) - Welcome to the website for the Bushfire Front Inc (BFF) of Western Australia. The BFF advocates better management of fire in WA, especially on forested lands, to reduce the impact and severity of bushfire damage. What is the Bushfire Front? We are practical bushfire specialists, with hundreds of years’ accumulated experience in preventing bushfire damage
- [Contact Us](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/contact-us/) - Contact Us Chairman: John Clarke Secretary: Frank Batini Webmaster/Social media consultant: Candice Clarke candijclarke@gmail.com info@bushfirefront.org.au
- [List of BFF Committee Members](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/list-of-bff-members/) - Patron Dr Chris Back Dr Back is a veterinary surgeon by profession and initially worked as a vet in rural WA before joining the public service. He spent seven years as CEO of Rottnest, and then was appointed CEO of the Bush Fires Board in WA, taking over from John Robley. He entered politics in
- [The Californian Fires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/the-californian-fires-2018/) - Recently the media have been full of reports of the disastrous 2020 bushfires in western USA. The scenes have been depressingly similar to what we saw in our catastrophic bushfires in the Eastern States last summer. While there are some significant differences from the Australian situation, such as those devastating Santa Ana winds that
- [Koalas and Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/koalas-and-fire/) - Book Review by Dr Neil Burrows AFSM Research Scientist (retired), Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia; former Director of Science, Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia. ‘The Great Koala Scam’, by Vic Jurskis (Connor Court Publishing, Queensland, 2020) is not just about the plight of koalas - it’s also about the
- [2020 Royal Commission Submission](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-us/2020-royal-commission-submission/) - Submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements from The Bushfire Front of Western Australia March 2020 1. First principles 1.1. Prevention of large, high-intensity bushfires is the fundamental requirement for land and community management in bushfire-prone regions of Australia. Unless this is done, no other objective can be achieved. 1.2. Landscape-level prescribed burning
- [A Blueprint For Effective Fire Management](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-us/a-blueprint-for-effective-fire-management/) - A Blueprint for Effective Bushfire Management in Australia A Bushfire Front Paper 2020 Summary The 2015/6 bushfire disasters in Western Australia and the 2019/20 calamities in NSW and Victoria have brought into sharp focus the need for a revolution in bushfire management in Australia. In this paper we discuss the background to, and then
- [Burning Spinifex](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/outback-fire/) - SPINIFEX FIRE MANAGEMENT Spinifex is a critical habitat and food source for many seed-feeding birds and small ground dwelling mammals that inhabit the extensive grassland areas of both the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia. It is also an important feed source for cattle stations in these regions. Fire management in Spinifex areas is
- [Bushfire, Logic and Ambrose Bierce](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/bushfire-logic-and-ambrose-bierce/) - This article first appeared in the magazine ‘Philosophy Now’ (Issue 109, 2015). David Ward probes the relevance of philosophy to Australian bushfire Fire in the landscape, or bushfire, is Australia’s most lethal and costly natural hazard. Big, uncontrollable bushfires can kill millions of trees and wild animals, thousands of farm animals, and sometimes humans too.
- [A Tale of Two Bushfires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/a-tale-of-two-bushfires/) - The comparison of two bushfires in the Perth Hills that occurred 13 years apart, demonstrates the benefits of prescribed burning and the need to consider the safety of our drinking water catchments. Many Perth residents would remember the afternoon of Saturday 15 January 2005 when smoke and ash from a bushfire burning in Perth’s hills blanketed
- [What You Need to Know](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/what-you-need-to-know/) - Safety in Bushfires Unfortunately there will always be bushfires. No matter what we do, fires will start from lightning strikes, human carelessness, accidents or arson. Our response, therefore, must be to mitigate the damage that bushfires can cause. If you live in a rural or semi-rural area, or a country town, you need to
- [Focus on the Perth Hills](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/focus-on-the-perth-hills/) - Focus on Fire Management in the Perth Hills This page covers several aspects of the fire management situation in the Perth Hills region, which stretches approximately from Stoneville down to Jarrahdale. It was written just after the 2005 Hills bushfire when the forest managing agency was CALM. Past Bad Decisions Coming Home to Roost.
- [Megafires in Australia](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/megafires-in-australia/) - Avoiding Megafires in Australia The Bush Fire Front April 2009 In the wake of the 2009 Victorian fire disaster the role of prescribed burning in relation to large wildfires (mediaspeak = megafires) has become a hot topic in the media, at academic seminars and on the internet. There have been numerous newspaper articles and TV
- [Bushfire Basics](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-fire/bushfire-basics/) - Bushfire Basics The Elements of Fire The “Fire Triangle” illustrates the three essential components of a bush fire: heat, oxygen and fuel. If any of these three is missing, fires cannot start or keep burning. Fresh oxygen is always being delivered to a fire by the wind and cannot be controlled. Heat cannot be usefully reduced in
- [Aboriginal Use of Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-fire/aboriginal-use-of-fire/) - Across the whole of Australia the early settlers and explorers commented in letters and reports that the land looked like a park, with extensive open forests and woodlands, with grassy patches often seemingly arranged in a planned fashion. They also described how they observed aborigines frequently burning patches of bush and were impressed by
- [Important Video Evidence](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/important-video-evidence/) - Videos About Fire A very important historical perspective on the role of fire in the Australian environment and the way aboriginal people used fire skilfully to manage the entire continent is given by Bill Gammage at these addresses: At the ABC : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGO2GbLRWcQ At the Australian National University : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sko-YDIULK There are two
- [Fire Management on Public Lands](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/fire-management-on-public-lands/) - The public lands referred to here include State forest, national parks, conservation parks, as well as numerous smaller reserves vested in local government bodies or other Government agencies. History of forest fire management in Western Australia Fire management in WA forests has evolved considerably over the past 200 years, especially since European settlement. Prior to
- [What Is the Problem?](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/) - Here we are talking about bushfires, any fire in natural vegetation that is not undertaken for some management purpose. Due to the large size of the State, extending from the tropics down to cool temperate areas in the south, bushfires can occur in Western Australia at almost any time of the year. The main
- [Managing Fire in Western Australia](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/managing-fire-in-western-australia/) - The responsibility for management of bushfires, and rural fire generally, varies with the tenure of the land. Crown Land The Department of Biodiversity,Conservation and Attractions (formerly Parks and Wildlife, formerly Environment Protection, formerly Conservation and Land Management) is responsible for fire management issues on: State forest national parks nature reserves conservation reserves and fire
- [The Value of Prescribed Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/the-value-of-prescribed-burning-2/) - In addition to the detailed account given below, and in the case studies reported in the WAIT Paper, several published papers listed below give further examples and information on this subject. McCaw, W.L., J.E.Neal and R.H.Smith. (1996). Effects of fuel reduction burning on fire behaviour and suppression difficulty of an intense wildfire in jarrah
- [Yarloop Case Study](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/yarloop-case-study/) - A Case Study in Protection of Rural Buildings From Bushfire – Yarloop School The Yarloop primary school is situated in a dangerous place from the viewpoint of bushfires. It has tall trees close to the buildings and the whole site has bush around the edge (see photo below) About a year before
- [Cost/Benefit of Prescribed burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/what-happens-in-a-prescribed-burn/costbenefit-of-prescribed-burning/) - THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF PRESCRIBED BURNING One of the contentious issues to do with fire management is the relative costs of bushfire mitigation measures as opposed to the costs of bushfire suppression. The cost of suppression of a bushfire varies greatly, depending on its size and the actual suppression technique used. The more
- [Lessons From Victoria](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/lessons-from-victoria/) - Royal Commission into the 2009 Victorian Fire Disaster The Royal Commission presented its final report in August 2010, after a most exhaustive examination of the issues surrounding the February 2009 fire disaster, in which there was huge loss of life. The report set out a large number of recommendations aimed at preventing a repetition of
- [The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/the-leeuwin-naturaliste-rodge/) - Focus on the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is an area of great concern to the Bush Fire Front. It contains a hazardous cocktail of dense highly inflammable coastal vegetation, karri forest, jarrah-marri forest, vineyards, livestock grazing, hobby farms, and settlements. Some of the settlements have subdivisions that were developed with inadequate attention
- [Four Scenarios](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/four-scenarios/)
- [Fire and Water](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/fire-and-water/) - Fire and Water – Opportunities By Dr Colin Terry, Water Corporation ↑
- [Burning and Wildfire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/burning-and-wildfire/) - Prescribed Burning and WildFire in South West Forests F H McKinnell Consultant, Forestry and Natural Resources Management Introduction Although this paper deals with the fire management policies of CALM and the former Forests Department, there is a parallel story in the management of fire on private land, which is the responsibility of local government
- [1961](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/1961-2/) - 1961 Fifty Years On Fifty Years On From the 1961 Fire Season The year 1961 was a year of fire disasters in Western Australia. Luckily no lives were lost, but several towns were burnt and large areas of forest severely damaged. The experiences of the people involved at the time are a valuable reminder of
- [The Dwellingup Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/the-dwellingup-fire/) - The Dwellingup Fire – Lessons From the Past G B Peet and A J Williamson Introduction Why go back to a fire that occurred over half a century ago? What can it tell us that is relevant to our situation today? Unfortunately, it can tell us a great deal, as our forest estate
- [The Science Behind Prescribed Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/the-science-behind-prescribed-burning/) - Fire Intervals and Biodiversity Responses in the South-West of WA The possible negative impacts on biodiversity of regular fuel reduction burning are a frequent issue of concern raised by those opposed to the practice. DEC has recently released the results of a major research project studying the effect of a range of fire intervals
- [Terms and Conditions](https://bushfirefront.org.au/terms-and-conditions/) - By using this website you are accepting all the terms of use contained within this document. If you do not agree with anything in this notice you should leave the website. Warranties and liability While every effort is made to ensure that the content of this website is accurate, the website is provided “as is”
- [What about Crown land](https://bushfirefront.org.au/what-about-crown-land/) - What are we talking about here? Crown land is land that is held and managed by government on behalf of the community. There are two broad categories of crown land: vested crown land, which has a designated government agency responsible for it, and unvested crown land that is not the responsibility of any agency.
- [Do you live in the metro area or a large town](https://bushfirefront.org.au/do-you-live-in-the-metro-area-or-a-large-town/) - Although people living in urban areas may think that they have no concern about bushfires, there is, in fact, a very real threat to them, as Canberra residents discovered in their 2003 fire disaster. Who could forget the graphic TV scenes of the fire raging through suburbs and householders being overwhelmed by showers of burning embers?
- [Fire Management on Private Land](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/fire-management-on-private-land/) - BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH-WESTERN WESTERN AUSTRALIA February 2009 The Bushfire Front Inc has reviewed bushfire management in south-western Western Australia, in particular the degree to which current management meets the requirements for Best Practice in the bushfire prevention and in preparedness for fires and fire damage mitigation. Our review indicates that actual performance
- [Climate Change and Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/climate-change-and-fire/) - Climate change and bushfire management in Western Australia A position paper prepared by The Bushfire Front Inc, August 2017 In the aftermath of almost every serious bushfire in recent years, there have been claims that the severity of the fire was the result of "global warming" or "climate change". Even Western Australia's Fire
- [Prescribed Burning](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/)
- [What Happens in a Prescribed Burn](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/what-happens-in-a-prescribed-burn/) - Here we are considering planned burns undertaken under mild weather conditions to achieve a reduction in fuel loads. They are variously referred to as fuel reduction burns (FRB), prescribed burns or controlled burns. It is important to understand that when an area has had its understorey fuel reduced by a low intensity burn, it does
- [Why Prescribed Burning?](https://bushfirefront.org.au/prescribed-burning/why-prescribed-burning/) - The Importance of Prescribed Burning Regular low fire intensity burning of litter and undergrowth under mild weather conditions offers the only practical way of reducing fuels in forest and woodland. Other approaches have been suggested, such as mechanically removing litter and undergrowth, but have not proved to be practical orcost-effective. Mechanical slashing may
- [How Do We Do it?](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/how-do-we-do-it/) - How do we fight bushfires? The vital thing in attacking a bushfire is to get suppression forces onto it quickly. A fire is much easier to suppress when it is smaller than when it has had time to build up momentum and move fast. Therefore detection of a "smoke" at the earliest possible time is
- [Stay or Go?](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/stay-or-go/) - The ‘Stay or Go’ Policy This policy has become confused in the wake of the 2009 Black Saturday fires in Victoria. It is now interpreted as simply a ‘Go’ policy, with the order “Everybody Out!” arising every time a fire threatens residential areas or farms. It appears that the aim is to save lives,
- [Community Bushfire Preparedness](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/community-bushfire-preparedness/) - A Checklist for Residents in Bushfire-prone Areas Introduction In rural Australia, bushfires are inevitable. They are a consequence of our climate and weather, our flammable vegetation and the constant sources of fire from lightning strikes, accidents or human folly. However, no two fires are alike. Bushfires can vary from a mild, trickling burn which
- [High Fire Danger Areas](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/high-fire-danger-areas/) - Several parts of the State have unusually high fire danger and also a high risk of a bushfire starting, due to natural factors such as lightning, or human carelessness. They are areas where there is a patchwork pattern of land tenure, with a mixture of forested land, hobby farms, "lifestyle" peri-urban developments and farmland.
- [Fire Safety](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/) - [loop the_query="category_name=protections"]
- [About Fire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/about-fire/)
- [Disaster Inquiries](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/disaster-inquiries/) - Inquiries Over the last 15 years there have been several inquiries into the bushfire situation, usually stimulated by some disaster or another. It seems that only a disaster will make us confront what should be obvious to us all. Some of these were national in nature, carried out by committees or consultants from the
- [ERA Review of the ESL](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/era-review-of-the-esl/) - BFF RESPONSE TO THE ERA CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ON THE ESL ISSUE The Bushfire Front strongly supports the review of the ESL funds by the ERA. We have long thought that these funds were not being used to the best advantage for bushfire management in rural WA. In particular, we have been concerned
- [Glossary](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/glossary/) - A glossary of terms associated with bushfire science and management Prepared by the Bushfire Front Inc. [Updated July 2013] The Bushfire Front Inc is an organisation of professional bushfire scientists and managers, operating from Perth, Western Australia, and with links to all Australian states and overseas. Our objective is to promote best practice in bushfire
- [Landscope Articles](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/landscope-articles/) - The Landscope magazine, produced by CALM/DEC/PAW/DBCA had two special editions devoted to fire management and fire impacts. They are available from DBCA. Articles in this edition (2000) include: Believing the Balga Karla Wongi: Fire Talk A Fire For All Seasons Seasoned With Fire Fighting Fire With Fire Wildfires - Living With the Threat Where
- [Fuel Management is the Critical Factor](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources/the-leeuwin-naturaliste-rodge/fuel-management-is-the-critical-factor/) - The Importance of Reducing Fuel Loadings Much of the vegetated areas between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin are carrying long unburnt and very heavy fuels which in the event of a bushfire will produce fast moving and high intensity fire behaviour. There is much the land owner can do to reduce the hazards and
- [Expertise in Fire Management](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/expertise-in-fire-management/) - The Critical Importance of Expertise and Experience in Fire Management Knowledge and experience in forest fire management is something that takes many years for people to attain. Fire behaviour is complex and the theory needs to be understood but also observed and tested in real burning and fire suppression situations to allow a
- [Wider Catchment Impacts](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/wider-catchment-impacts/) - MONITORING THE EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE ON WATER, VEGETATION AND BIODIVERSITY By Frank Batini (Forester) and Keith Barrett (Hydrologist) Reproduced, with permission, from The Forester Volume 50 Number 4, Dec 2007. This is an update on the effects of the wildfire described by Dr C Terry at the Eaton Seminar 2005. BACKGROUND In January 2005
- [Bushfires and Global Warming](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/bushfires-and-global-warming/) - Bushfires, Prescribed Burning and Global Warming by Roger Underwood*, David Packham** and Phil Cheney*** *Chairman, The Bushfire Front Inc, PO Box 1014 Subiaco Western Australia, 6904 **Senior Research Fellow, School of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University, Victoria. ***Honorary Research Fellow, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT April 2008 This is not a paper about climate change
- [Fire in Tasmania - 2](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/fire-in-tasmania-2/) - Managing Tasmania's Fire Environment by Tony Mount 2009 Click here to see a PDF of this paper Tasfire2
- [Fire in Tasmania -1](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/fire-in-tasmania-1/) - Tasmania’s Ancient Bushfire Heritage By Tony Mount 2009 Click here to see a PDF of This Paper Tasfire1
- [A Modern Bushfire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/home/fire-facts/a-modern-bushfire/) - An Example of Expensive Overkill This bushfire occurred in Glen Forrest several years ago when the agency responsible for managing fire on private land was FESA. It is now DFES (2017). By Dr Frank McKinnell March 2011 I am a forester, and have been involved with fire management in Australia in one way or another
- [Waterbombing](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/672-2/) - Water bombing and magic bullets by Roger Underwood Back in the summer of 1960/61, when I was training to become a forestry officer, I was unlucky enough to be caught up as a firefighter in the great bushfires of that year. In the Dwellingup Fire, three towns were burnt out; a further town was
- [Fighting Bushfires](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/)
- [The Alternatives](https://bushfirefront.org.au/historical-facts/the-alternatives/) - The fact is that large high intensity bushfires result from failed land management; like a disease epidemic, they are incubated over several years during which preventative medicine could have been applied, but was not. The Three Alternatives We are not brand new settlers on this continent. Australian land managers, land owners, foresters and rural
- [Do you live on or own property in the country](https://bushfirefront.org.au/do-you-live-on-or-own-property-in-the-country/) - Rural and Peri-Urban Land People living in country areas are generally well aware of the hazards presented by bushfires, but there are some parts of the State, such as the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, where normal farming activities have been replaced to a large extent by hobby farms. Often these are not occupied full time
- [Resources](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2-2/) - This section contains more explanatory and historical material, as well as a glossary of fire management terms. The historical material is especially valuable, since it sets out the experiences of many people who were directly involved in observing bushfires or, carrying out management or research activities. The earliest European settlers in Australia came up against
- [Anatomy of a Bushfire](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/anatomy-of-a-bushfire/) - The following article appeared on the ABC News after the 2009 Victorian fires and is reproduced here with the permission of the ABC and the author. It refers to Victorian conditions but the principles apply anywhere in Australia. The fire danger rating system was altered since this article was published. Note that the term
- [Further Reading](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/further-reading/) - There are several books published over the last few years that provide further insights into fire management issues in Australia. A selection is illustrated below. In addition, Dr David Ward's graphical presentation of the outcomes of different approaches to forest fire management entitled Four Scenarios is an interesting read.
- [Seminars](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/) - The BFF has organised several seminars aimed at increasing awareness of fire management problems, mainly in the south west of the State. Eaton Seminar On 29 October 2005, the BFF, in collaboration with Fire For Life, a Manjimup-based community fire management group, held a seminar at Eaton, near Bunbury to examine current issues in
- [Letters](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/letters/) - The following letters demonstrate how the activities of aborigines using fire in their traditional way caused much anxiety among early settlers in Western Australia. They also show how some observers could see that their use of fire was in no way haphazard, but done with skill and deliberate intent. Bushfire History: Some Letters about
- [Historical Accounts](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/)
- [Firefighter's Issues](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/firefighters-issues/) - FIREFIGHTER SAFETY IN THE SOUTHWEST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA By John Evans Presentation at the Eaton Seminar, October 2005 (NOTE: This article has been converted from its original form as a MS Powerpoint presentation for the convenience of the reader. The references to CALM have been retained, although CALM has now become DEC,
- [Barriers to Best Practice](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/seminars/barriers-to-best-practice/) - Barriers to Best Practice in Bushfire Management in WA By Roger Underwood, Chairman of The Bushfire Front, Inc October 2005 Introduction The development of guidelines for Best Practice in bushfire management has been one of the main achievements of the Bushfire Front. It represents a logical approach to breaking down the mammoth
- [Canberra Day Oration](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/canberra-day-oration/) - This paper was prepared by Phil Cheney, a long term, very experienced fire research officer with the CSIRO in Canberra. He described the background to the development of Canberra and how that development contributed to the 2003 fire disaster where a bushfire came right into suburbia. Canberra: Bush Capital or Bushfire Capital Based on
- [A Time Sequence](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/a-time-sequence/) - A Time Sequence (1791-2006) of Comments on Bushfire by Early Visitors and Settlers, Present Day Farmers, and Nyoongar Elders. By Dr David Ward (2010) In debates over prescribed burning, some claim that frequent burning is a recent phenomenon which "destroys biodiversity". It is claimed that Nyoongar people did little deliberate burning. This
- [Fires Around Sydney](https://bushfirefront.org.au/resources-2/historical-accounts/fires-around-sydney/) - Fires Around Sydney PAPER PRESENTED TO ACFA CONFERENCE PERTH 2004 By David Ryan In an interview a week or so back on the ABC TV Dr Tim Flannery from the Adelaide Museum stated that there were records of very hot weather in the Sydney area soon after European settlement, with statements about birds falling

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