One assumes that the DELWP request a fire permit to burn off during the fire restriction period? Yet so many of those fires have escaped and just about every fire lit under the spurious declaration of fuel reduction burning or ecological burns, has burned more of the forest flora, ground dwelling wildlife and insect composters, than was predicted; or possibly desired, by thinking people.
The people that have always had the blame for this laid at their door was the DELWP [Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning], when it should in fact have been the CFA [Country Fire Authority] For handing out the permits for an area to be burnt. Neither of these departments care or know enough about the environment or the elements that are critical for life on this planet, air and water quality.
The wrong people are making the wrong decisions. These two wrongs are depleting our biodiversity, and creating a state that will be the envy of no one in Australia or overseas.
Every species fears fire yet some fire authorities light it? While species who are without the ability to understand and plan for it run away when fire happens. Our species attempts to prevent it, and if that fails, to stop it as quickly as possible. This appears to be a sound statement, and yet we are aware there are agencies, apart from pyromaniacs, who actually enjoy fire, when they think it is a good time to burn or a good area to burn. One of these agencies has been known by many names and at the time of writing is the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning here in Victoria. [DELWP]
A theory has been entrenched in the minds of some people who are in many cases sociopathic in their thoughts and beliefs about fire and it's prevention and control is, it's a good thing to fight fire with fire. Use small fires to prevent the larger fires. The result from small fires, though these refuse to see it, is very similar to the end result of large fire in a forest area. Possibly even in a suburban area should one be lit in a backyard or house.
The carbon that is released into the air when a fire is lit is massive and completely unnecessary. Recently Thursday 6 April 2017, the television showed burning off large acreages of tall dry grass. I think this was done by the CFA, an organisation that enjoys this fire lighting process. It gives them justification for existing. This grass had survived the summer, dried off and now is being burnt rather than mowed. Mowing it would have placed that grass on the ground and the carbon would have been sequestered into the soil, as the insects, fungi and soil life forms broke it down, but that would have been too easy, and removed the opportunity to light fires.
By burning the grass it puts massive amounts of carbon into the air, kills all that lives on the top layer of the soil, insects, small reptiles and small, seed eating wildlife in the short term, and in the long term by starving the survivors because their food sources have been consumed or despoiled by the flames. The fire leaves only ash which is very water soluble potash that is quickly and easily washed away in a heavy rain into the rivers leading to the lakes or the sea. Leaving behind a dead area.
• The fire arm of the DELWP are more about lighting fires and burning the forest than preventing fires
• Fire is not good. Because it occurs through natural phenomenon does not make it so
• Many Australian plant species can survive fire because their seeds are so designed, most do not require fire or smoke to germinate
• Aboriginal people did not light fires, because they could encroach upon their neighbours hunting grounds and living area, bringing by trouble down of their head
• Fire destroys the small animals, reptiles , insects that if left alone and alive, would compost the detritus of the forest
• Fire pollutes the air with carbon, gases and minute particles
• Fire depletes nitrogen where it might be present in anything it touches
• Fire leaves only highly water soluble potash behind in the ash
• There is no such thing as a cool fire [cool burn]
• There is no such thing as a controllable fire without massive resources on hand or control of the weather
• Fire is the last total destruction weapon of the conqueror.
Burning forest under one of the spurious reasons is even worse.
